The "Overnight Scentsation" was chosen because it produces fragrance of commercial value in the fragrance industry. It will be grown in space using WCSAR’s Astroculture^TM controlled-environment plant growth flight unit. The astronauts scheduled to conduct the Astroculture^TM project in space are Pedro Duque, John Glenn, Steven Lindsey and Chiaki Mukai. While in space, a flower of this plant will be chemically sampled using IFF’s proprietary Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME) technique. SPME utilizes a special fiber needle placed directly into the bloom of the living flower to collect the odorous molecules. Upon return to Earth, the samples will be analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS).

The data gathered from the experiment, conducted by Subha Patel, Senior Research Chemist, IFF; Dr. Braja Mookherjee, V.P., Director Natural Products Research, IFF; and Dr. Norman Draeger, Associate Scientist, WCSAR, will be used in the development of new fragrances and flavors and, subsequently, consumer products.

Development of new fragrance and flavor products may be enhanced with research conducted in microgravity. Buoyancy-driven convection is nearly eliminated in microgravity, and this environment may alter the physiology of certain plants, resulting in the production of plant materials, including the fragrance of the flower, not produced by the same plants on Earth. By sampling these living flowers in space and subsequently analyzing the samples, the space-produced fragrance from the living flower will be reproduced in the lab. In effect, just as new fragrances and flavorings have in the past been discovered from previously unknown plants growing in exotic terrestrial environments, novel plant fragrances may be discovered in the "exotic" environment of space, and brought back to terrestrial markets. Providing new commercial products from development work conducted in space is the mission of NASA’s Space Products Development Office.

"Space-based experiments continue IFF’s ever-expanding research into the nature of fragrance and flavors," said Dr. Judith Giordan, V.P., Director of Research & Development for IFF. "We continually examine the impact of both physical and psychophysical forces on natural fragrance- and flavor-producing systems thus allowing the discovery of new ways to make the human experience more satisfying and pleasurable for the two senses of taste and smell — the most primordial and basic to human pleasure."

IFF is the world’s leading creator and manufacturer of flavors and fragrances used by others to impart or improve flavor or fragrance in a wide variety of consumer products. Flavors are used in a wide variety of sweet and savory applications including processed foods, snacks, beverages, dairy products, confectionery, baked goods, pharmaceutical and oral care products and animal foods. Fragrance products include fine fragrances, personal care products, and soap and household products. The Company devotes almost $100 million annually to research and development, the largest single effort, public or private, of its kind devoted to the two senses of taste and smell. IFF’s world headquarters is located in New York City, with creative, sales and manufacturing facilities in 33 countries around the world.

Contact:

IFF Public Relations

212-708-7121