PD Dr. habil. Helene Loos

Following her studies in food technology at the University of Hohenheim, Helene Loos obtained her doctorate in food chemistry at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) in 2015. During her PhD, she investigated the aroma composition of breast milk and the behavioural responses of neonates to selected odorants from sweat and milk with Prof. Dr. Andrea Buettner and Dr. Benoist Schaal, at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising, and the Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation, Dijon.

After completing her doctoral thesis, she performed applied research at the Department of Sensory Analytics, Fraunhofer IVV, with a focus on sensory evaluation and multisensory perception, in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Jessica Freiherr, RWTH Aachen.

In 2017, she started her postdoctoral studies in the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy at FAU, focusing on human psychophysiological responses to olfactory stimulation, and was supported by the programme “Promotion of Equal Opportunities for Women in Research and Teaching” (FFL).

Her current research activities in this area aim at establishing and improving the measurement and analysis of peripheral psychophysiological responses to olfactory stimulation. Further, in the framework of an Emerging Fields Initiative project having started in April 2019 (Human Body Odours: exploring chemical signatures), Helene Loos and colleagues set up a methodological platform at FAU to study the chemical and biological principles of body odour formation, and the role of body odours in human chemical communication. Helene Loos is one of the lead scientists contributing to the Campus of the Senses and the Sensory Sciences initiatives at FAU and Fraunhofer IVV and has strong interest and expertise in aroma analysis, olfaction and perceptual psychology. In 2021, she was awarded the Faculty of Sciences’ Women’s Prize at FAU for her junior research group “Olfactory perception and chemocommunication”. In September 2022, she was awarded the Werner Baltes Award of the Young Scientist by the Food Chemical Society of Food Chemistry (LChG) – Division in the German Chemical Society (GDCh) – for her overall scientific achievements in aroma and smell research. In 2024, she successfully defended her habilitation thesis entitled “Body odors: investigations on their composition and role in communication”. In October 2024, she was appointed to replace the professorship of food science at Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.

The group of Helene Loos explores mechanisms of perceptual and behavioural phenomena in the field of olfaction, applying a range of methods to identify and quantify odorants and their metabolites in biological samples, to characterize them in view of psychophysical parameters, and to assess their potential function in modulating behaviour. The two main areas of research are:

• Investigation of perceptual and physiological effects of odour-active volatiles.
  • Inhaling an odorant elicits a range of biochemical and (psycho)physiological processes related to the chemical structure itself or to the cognitive evaluation of the odour percept. We aim to elucidate how physiology, e.g., sniffing behaviour, skin conductance, and heart rate, is modulated by intrinsic properties of the odorant but also by context parameters. The methodology is further used for the activity-guided discovery of activating and calming odours, and for the assessment of consumer responses to food and non-food products.
  • We are further interested in perceptual effects related to the biochemical process of olfaction. In this context, we study structure-activity-relationships as well as biotransformation of odorants at the olfactory epithelium. Beyond that, we conduct intervention studies to understand the uptake, the biotransformation, and the excretion of aroma compounds in/from the human body.
  • Another line of research relates to the role of olfaction in early development. Different developmental stages are characterized by different sensory, cognitive, and motor capacities, and different biochemical and physiological processes. We aim to characterize olfactory capacities and odour perception during development and to elucidate the role of olfaction in specific behaviours such as mother-infant-interaction, both in man and in animal models.
• Analytical characterization of odour-active and odourless volatiles.
  • The elucidation of odour-active compounds is conducted for a broad range of research questions, relating to different disciplines such as food chemistry, food technology, or engineering. The current focus is on the elucidation of social odours. Chemocommunication has been demonstrated in a range of species, and it is well known that odours, including body odours, also play a crucial role in human behaviour. Further, ingested or inhaled odorants undergo biotransformation processes in the body and are eliminated via several routes, possibly influencing human body odour. We aim to characterize odorous and non-odorous volatiles emitted by the human body by applying analytical techniques such as gas chromatography-olfactometry/mass spectrometry. To this aim, we investigate the composition of body fluids and gases such as milk, urine, sweat, and breath, and assess the influence of individual factors such as age, life style, and health to explore the diagnostic value and communicative potential of body odours.

Helene Loos is/has been principal investigator of the DFG projects Chemical and ethological characterization of volatiles implicated in behavioural responses of songbird hatchlings to their parents’ scent  and Body odor sensory-chemical profiling – from newborns to adults, the Emerging Fields Initiative Project Human body odours: exploring chemical signatures , the project Olfactory communication in humans: exploring principles of the perception of human chemosignals funded by FAU, and the research training group SymoCADS. She also coordinates the network Human chemical communication, which is funded by DFG, and contributes to other projects of the Chair of Aroma and Smell Research.

We are constantly complementing and optimizing the methods we utilize to answer our research questions. Amongst others, we apply the following methods in conjunction with the appropriate statistical interpretation:

• one- and two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry with various odour sampling techniques
• descriptive and discriminative sensory evaluation, e.g. odour profile analysis, psychophysics
• demographic and psychological questionnaires
• analysis of facial movements (FACS)
• analysis of physiological recordings, e.g. skin conductance or electrocardiogram

Several of the current research projects are done in cooperation with researchers from the field. We are always happy to start new collaborative projects.

• 2024

da Silva, M., Egiddi, M., Debeuf, B., Buettner, A., Loos, H.M. (2024) Aroma-active compounds in Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) raised in recirculating aquaculture systems. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 18, 101443. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2024.101443

Alves Soares, T., Caspers, B.A., Veit, D., Loos, H.M. (2024) Analytical characterization of volatiles present in the whole body odour of zebra finches. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 416, 5335-5349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-024-05466-8

Wang, Q., Baum, A., Schreiner, L., Slavik, B. Buettner, A., Loos, H.M. (2024) Sensory characterization and identification of odorants in birch wood (Betula pendula Roth). Wood Science and Technology 58, 1761-1779. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-024-01575-w

da Silva, M., Loos, H. M., Buettner, A. (2024) Identification of odor-active compounds in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) from recirculated aquaculture systems: A case study with different depuration procedures. Food Research International 192, 114755. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114755

Mérignac-Lacombe, J., Kornbausch, N., Sivarajan, R., Boichot, V., Berg, K., Oberwinkler, H., Saliba, E., Loos, H., Ehret Kasemo, T., Scherzad, A., Bodem, J., Buettner, A., Neiers, F., Erhard, F., Hackenberg, S., Heydel, J.-M., Steinke, M. (2024) Characterization of a human respiratory mucosa model to study odorant metabolism. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 72 (22): 12696-12706.

Debong, M. W., Homm, I., Gigl, M., Lang, R., Hofmann, T., Buettner, A., Dawid, C., Loos, H.M. (2024) Curry-odorants and their metabolites transfer into human milk and urine. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, 2300831. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.202300831

Owsienko, D., Goppelt, L., Hierl, K., Schäfer, L., Croy, I., Loos, H.M. (2024) Body odor samples from infants and post-pubertal children differ in their volatile profiles. Communications Chemistry 7, 53 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-024-01131-4

Alves Soares, T., Caspers, B., Loos, H.M. (2024) Volatile organic compounds in preen oil and feathers – a review. Biological Reviews 99:1085 – 1099. doi: 10.1111/brv.13059

Alves Soares, T., Caspers, B., Loos, H.M. (2024) The smell of zebra finches: Elucidation of zebra finch odour applying gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and olfaction-guided approaches. Talanta Open 9, 100277. doi: 10.1016/j.talo.2023.100277

Owsienko, D., Schwinn, L., Eskofier, B.M., Kiesswetter, E., Loos, H.M. (2024) Sensory evaluation of axillary odour samples of younger and older adults by a trained panel. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 39: 3-9. doi: 10.1002/ffj.3762

• 2023

de Groot J. H. B., Haertl, T., Loos, H. M., Bachmann, C., Kontouli, A., Smeets, M. A. M. (2023) Unraveling the universality of chemical fear communication: evidence from behavioral, genetic, and chemical analyses. Chemical Senses 48, bjad046. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bjad046

Debong, M. W., N’Diaye, K., Schöberl, D., Yin, Y., Lang, R., Buettner, A., Hofmann, T., Loos, H. M. (2023) Linalool, 1,8-cineole, and eugenol transfer from a curry dish into human urine. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 2300396. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.202300396

Loos, H.M., Schaal, B., Pause, B.M., Smeets, M.A., Ferdenzi, C., Roberts, S.C., de Groot, J., Lübke, K.T., Croy, I., Freiherr, J., Bensafi, M., Hummel, T., Havlíček, J. (2023) Past, present, and future of human chemical communication research. Perspectives on Psychological Science. doi: 10.1177/17456916231188147.

Wunder, A., Ludwig, J., Haertl, T., Arnhardt, S., Schwinn, L., Chellapandian, D. C., Weinmari, E., Mühle, C., Thürauf, N., Kornhuber, J., Rohleder, N., Loos, H. M., Freiherr, J. (2023) Can you smell my stress? Influence of stress chemosignals on empathy and emotion recognition in depressed individuals and healthy controls. Physiology & Behavior 270, 114309. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114309

Alves Soares, T., Owsienko, D., Haertl, T., Loos, H. M. (2023) Recovery rates of selected body odor substances in different textiles applying various work-up and storage conditions measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Analytica Chimica Acta 1252, 341067, doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341067.

Lotter, S., Brand, L., Jamali, V., Schäfer, M., Loos, H. M., Unterweger, H., Greiner, S., Kirchner, J., Alexiou, C., Drummer, D., Fischer, G., Buettner, A., Schober, R. (2023) Experimental Research in Synthetic Molecular Communications – Part I. IEEE Nanotechnology Magazine, doi: 10.1109/MNANO.2023.3262100.

Lotter, S., Brand, L., Jamali, V., Schäfer, M., Loos, H. M., Unterweger, H., Greiner, S., Kirchner, J., Alexiou, C., Drummer, D., Fischer, G., Buettner, A., Schober, R. (2023) Experimental Research in Synthetic Molecular Communications – Part II. IEEE Nanotechnology Magazine, doi: 10.1109/MNANO.2023.3262377.

Jamali, V., Loos, H.M., Buettner, A., Schober, R., H. V. Poor (2023) Olfaction-inspired MCs: Molecule Mixture Shift Keying and Cross-Reactive Receptor Arrays. IEEE Transactions on Communications, doi: 10.1109/TCOMM.2023.3242379.

Wicke, W., Felsheim, R.C., Brand, L., Jamali, V., Loos, H.M., Buettner, A., Schober, R. (2023) Pulse Shaping for MC via Particle Size. IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological and Multi-Scale Communications, doi: 10.1109/TMBMC.2023.3254436.

Haertl, T., Owsienko, D., Schwinn, L., Hirsch, C., Eskofier, B.M., Lang, R., Wirtz, S., Loos H.M. (2023) Exploring the interrelationship between the skin microbiome and skin volatiles: A pilot study. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 11:1107463. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1107463

• 2022

Shanmugam, E., Loos, H.M. (2022) Where has all the aroma gone? Identification of aroma compounds in fresh and dried leaves of Melissa officinalis. Journal of Food Bioactives 20: 56–60. doi: 10.31665/JFB.2022.18328

Buchecker, F. Loos, H.M., Buettner, A. (2022) Smells like new car or rather like an old carriage? –  Resolution of the decay behavior of odorants in vehicle cabins during usage. Indoor Air 32:e13112. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.13112

Kornbausch, N., Debong, M.W., Buettner, A., Heydel, J.-M., Loos, H.M. (2022) Odorant metabolism in humans. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202202866

Buchecker, F., Baum, A., Loos, H.M., Buettner, A. (2022) Follow your nose – Traveling the world of odorants in new cars. Indoor Air 32:e13014. doi:10.1111/ina.13014

Buchecker, F., Loos, H.M., Buettner, A. (2022) Odor characterization of a cavity preservation using emission test chambers by different sensory evaluation methods and sampling concepts for instrumental analysis. Talanta Open 5: 100098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talo.2022.100098

Buchecker, F., Loos, H.M., Buettner, A. (2022) Investigations on the impact of hardening on the odour of an aqueous cavity preservation for automotive applications using sensory and instrumental analysis. Talanta Open 5: 100095. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talo.2022.100095

• 2021

Debong, M. W., N’Diaye, K., Owsienko, D., Schöberl, D., Ammar, T., Lang, R., Buettner, A., Hofmann, T., Loos, H. M. (2021) Dietary linalool is transferred into the milk of nursing mothers. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, 2100507. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.202100507

N´Diaye, K., Debong, M., Behr, J., Dirndorfer, S., Duggan, T., Beusch, A., Schlagbauer, V., Dawid, C., Loos, H. M., Buettner, A., Lang, R., Hofmann, T. (2021) Dietary piperine is transferred into the milk of nursing mothers. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, 2100508. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.202100508

Janzen, D., Slavik, B., Zehe, M., Sotriffer, C., Loos, H.M., Buettner, A., Villmann, C. (2021) Sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenoids harbor modulatory allosteric potential and affect inhibitory GABA_A receptor function in vitro. Journal of Neurochemistry. doi: 10.1111/jnc.15469

Slavik, B., Roehrer, S., Loos, H.M., Minceva, M., Buettner, A. (2021) Isolation of sesquiterpenoids from Matricaria chamomilla by means of solvent assisted flavor evaporation and centrifugal partition chromatography. Journal of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. doi: 10.1007/s00216-021-03400-w.

• 2020

Loos, H.M., Schreiner, L., Karacan, B. (2020) A systematic review of physiological responses to odours with a focus on current methods used in event-related study designs. International Journal of Psychophysiology 158, 143-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.08.014.

Qin, W., Huber, K., Popp, M., Bauer, P., Buettner, A., Sharapa, C., Scheffler, L., Loos, H.M. (2020) Quantification of Allyl Methyl Sulfide, Allyl Methyl Sulfoxide, and Allyl Methyl Sulfone in Human Milk and Urine after Ingestion of Cooked and Roasted Garlic. Frontiers in Nutrition 7: 565496. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.565496.

Schreiner, L., Karacan, B., Blankenagel, S., Packhaeuser, K., Freiherr, J., Loos, H.M. (2020) Out of the woods: Psychophysiological investigations on wood odors to estimate their suitability as ambient scents. Wood Science and Technology, 54(5), 1385-1400. doi: 10.1007/s00226-020-01216-y

Schaal B., Saxton T.K., Loos H., Soussignan R., Durand K. (2020) Olfaction scaffolds the developing human from neonate to adolescent and beyond.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 375: 20190261. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0261

Debong, M. W., Loos, H.M. (2020). Diet-induced flavor changes in human milk: update and perspectives. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c00223.

• 2019

Rodriguez-Raecke, R., Loos, H.M., Sijben, R., Singer, M., Beauchamp, J., Buettner, A., Freiherr, J. (2019). A masked aversive odor cannot be discriminated from the masking odor but can be identified through odor quality ratings and neural activation patterns. Frontiers in Neuroscience 13:1219. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01219

Loos, H., Schaal, B., Reger, D. (2019). The odour of human milk: Its chemical variability and detection by newborns. Physiology & behavior, 199, 88-99. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.11.008

• 2018

Zareian, M.,  Böhner, N., Loos, H. M., Silcock, P., Bremer, P., Beauchamp, J. (2018). Evaluation of volatile organic compound release in modified atmosphere-packaged minced raw pork in relation to shelf-life. Food packaging and shelf life 18, 51-61. doi: 10.1016/j.fpsl.2018.08.001

Mahmoud, M., Tybussek,T., Loos, H. M., Wagenstaller, M., Buettner, A. (2018). Odorants in fish feeds: a potential source of malodors in aquaculture. Frontiers in Chemistry, 6 (241). doi: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00241

• 2017

Schreiner, L., Loos, H. M., Buettner, A. (2017). Identification of odorants in wood of Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin by aroma extract dilution analysis and two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/olfactometry. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. doi: 10.1007/s00216-017-0314-x

Loos, H.M., Doucet, S., Védrines, F., Sharapa, C., Soussignan, R., Durand, K., Sagot, P., Buettner, A., Schaal, B. (2017). Responses of human neonates to highly diluted odorants from sweat. Journal of Chemical Ecology. doi: 10.1007/s10886-016-0804-x

• 2014

Loos, H. M., Doucet, S., Soussignan, R., Hartmann, C., Durand, K., Dittrich, R., Sagot, P., Buettner, A., Schaal, B. (2014). Responsiveness of human neonates to the odor of 5α-androst-16-en-3-one: a behavioral paradox? Chemical Senses, 39 (8), 693-703. doi: 10.1093/chemse/bju041

• 2013

Fromm, M., Loos, H. M., Bayha, S., Carle, R., Kammerer, D. R. (2013). Recovery and characterization of coloured phenolic preparations from apple seeds. Food Chemistry, 136 (3-4), 1277-1287. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.09.042

• 2023

Kornbausch, N., Mérignac-Lacombe, J., Neiers, F., Thomas-Danguin, T., Heydel, J.-M., Steinke, M., Hackenberg, S., Loos, H.M. (2023) Perspectives on Nasal Odorant Metabolism Research. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c04662. Part of the Virtual Special Issue “BIOFLAVOUR 2022 – Biotechnology of Flavours, Fragrances, and Functional Ingredients”.

Alves Soares, T., Caspers, B.A., Loos, H.M. (2023). Avian Chemical Signatures: An Overview. In: Schaal, B., Keller, M., Rekow, D., Damon, F. (eds) Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 15. CSiV 2024. Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-35159-4_6.

• 2021

Slavik, B., Nehr, J., Loos, H. M., Buettner, A. (2021) Identification and semi-quantification of sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenoids from Chamomile, Hop, Lavender, Basil and Lemon balm. In: E. Guichard and J.L. Le Quéré (Eds), Proceedings of the 16th Weurman Flavour Research Symposium (2021), DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5752298.

Buchecker, F., Loos, H.M., Buettner, A. (2021) Volatile compounds in the vehicle-interior: Odorants of an aqueous cavity preservation and beyond. In: E. Guichard and J.L. Le Quéré (Eds), Proceedings of the 16th Weurman Flavour Research Symposium. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.5345941.

Debong, M., Lang, R., N’Diaye, K., Buettner, A., Hofmann, T., Loos, H.M. (2021) Tracing odour- and taste-active compounds in human milk. In: E. Guichard and J.L. Le Quéré (Eds), Proceedings of the 16th Weurman Flavour Research Symposium. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.5346462.

We are always looking for talented individuals to join our team.

Postdocs and PhD students:

We are happy to support your ideas in fellowship applications for PhD and Postdoc projects.

FAU students:

Do not hesitate to reach out to inquire about participation as student assistant (HiWi) as well as possibilities for final theses and internships.

Please get in touch with Helene Loos at helene.loos@fau.de