Forget Stinky Gym Clothes: New Fabric Releases Lemony Aroma When Sweat Hits It
When sweat combines with the bacteria that live under your armpits, you get a not-so-pleasant odor, which can sink in to your workout clothes.
Now, researchers have discovered that putting a protein found in pig snouts in fabric can create a pleasant aroma when sweat hits it, according to a study published in the ACS Applied Material and Interfaces Journal.
We’ve all been there: After an extra sweaty ride, you are tempted to stop for some groceries or to run some errands, but your pungent clothing makes you head back home to shower first.
Soon, this might be a thing of the past. Rather than checking yourself for that sweat smell, you may instead be able to confidently roll into your favorite coffee shop postworkout on a wave of lemony aroma.
And you can thank pigs for that pleasant smell, according to a study from the University of Minho in Portugal published in the ACS Applied Material and Interfaces Journal.
In the study, researchers discovered they could create a lemony aroma activated by sweat by placing a protein found in pig snouts—which binds with scent molecules like β-citronellol, a naturally occurring scent found in rose and lemongrass—within cotton fabric.
So how does it work? The protein that was bound into the cotton would capture the scent, and sweat (or salty water) would trigger its emission, study author Artur Cavaco-Paulo, professor in the department of biological engineering at the University of Minho, told Bicycling.
The components in the sweat would displace the scent that was captured in the protein, causing it to disperse in quick bursts.
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The researchers also tested a second method using liposomes, a tiny bubble that mimics the material of a cell membrane and is often used for delivery of nutrients or medicine, to bind the scent to the fabric instead of the proteins. This method was able to hold more fragrance and release a more constant aroma, which was lighter than that of the scent created using pig-snout proteins.
Researchers are trying to come up with a method to fix the protein on cotton permanently, though it is likely still far off from general consumer use. In the meantime, you’ll have to hit the shower postride—or at the very least, keep packing your own deodorant in your bag.
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