"Evaluation of the olfactory function in the Italian population"

The Colfit project aims to analyze the prevalence of olfactory disorders in the Italian population.

The study will allow to obtain a large-scale evaluation of the olfactory function in participants from different Italian regions in relation, for example, to age, sex, cognitive abilities and other variables of interest.

The test

The tests consist in measuring the threshold of detection of an odor, the identification and discrimination of olfactory stimuli through the use of odorous pens and in the measure of the exhaled through the nose during the chewing of a candy.

Socio-demographic data were also collected, cognitive and psychological indicators subsequently correlated with olfactory responses, whose task is to measure the strength of the associative bonds between foods and emotions.

At the end of the tests a sample of saliva was collected from the subjects in order to study the influence of the saliva composition on the release of aromas during the expiratory measurements.