Textile binding and release of body odor compounds measured by proton transfer reaction – mass spectrometry

The creation of axillary body odor and its interaction with worn textiles is of continuing interest to textile manufacturers and finishers, product developers and marketers, and end users. This paper explains a novel proton transfer reaction – mass spectrometry model system to investigate the adsorption and release behavior of three fiber types commonly worn next to the skin (cotton, polyester, wool) for compounds found in body odor (dimethyl disulfide, 2-propanethiol, benzaldehyde, nonanal, butanoic acid, and 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid). Three different patterns were observed: low relative adsorption and low overall release of the volatiles for cotton, high relative adsorption and continuous release of the volatiles for polyester, and high relative adsorption but low overall release for wool. This investigation, coupled with earlier studies by our group, goes some way to explain why the different fiber types are perceived as enhancing or suppressing body odor.