Investigations on the impact of hardening on the odour of an aqueous cavity preservation for automotive applications using sensory and instrumental analysis

Automotive coatings such as the cavity preservation contribute to corrosion protection of the vehicle body. However, the odour of such coating may be perceived in the vehicle interior. Therefore, we analysed the causative odorants of a wax-based aqueous cavity preservation before and after hardening. A combined sensory-instrumental approach comprising qualitative descriptive analysis and a sensory rating revealed g-lactones and carboxylic acids as odorants with high odour potency. These odorants are to be considered as primarily originating from oxidation processes of some of the components before application. During hardening, no further odour generation or oxidation of the material was observable.