How your unique body odour could identify you as effectively as a fingerprint

How your unique body odour could identify you as effectively as a fingerprint

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 11:44 AM on 10th November 2008



woman holding her nose

Your body odour, like fingerprints, would remain distinctive even if you changed your diet, a new study revealed

Every person has a unique body odour, like their fingerprints, that could be used as an 'odourprint' to identify them, a new study has found.

Scientists revealed an individual's odour signature remains detectable even when their diet is changed to include strong smelling foods such as garlic and spices.

Mammals such as mice and humans are known to have unique genetically-determined body odours, called 'odourtypes'.

The Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia conducted tests on mice, which were given different diets affecting their odour.

The results found their natural smell stayed the same and allowed them to be recognised by their peers.

'These findings indicate that biologically-based odorprints, like fingerprints, could be a reliable way to identify individuals,' said Monell chemist Jae Kwak.

'If this can be shown to be the case for humans, it opens the possibility that devices can be developed to detect individual odorprints in humans,' he added.

According to Kwak's colleague Gary Beauchamp, similar approaches are being used to investigate body odour differences associated with disease. Such research could lead to the development of electronic sensors for early detection and rapid diagnosis of disorders such as skin and lung cancer and certain viral diseases.

Monell conducts research on the senses of smell and taste. The results of their latest study are detailed in the October 31 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.