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In order to clarify the risk management ability of the elderly in the daily life, a study was carried out, in which, 150 elderly and 105 young control panelists have been asked to detect and identify three smells which are serving as indices of food degradation, namely acetic acid, trimethylamine, and methyl mercaptan in order to determine the olfactory thresholds. The results revealed that the thresholds were all higher in the elderly, and that their sense of smell had deteriorated compared with the young. The threshold distribution in the elderly was more widespread for acetic acid, and the difference between the detection and the recognition thresholds was smaller compared with the young. Regarding trimethylamine, some old panelists could not detect the prepared sample with the largest density, so its spread could not be determined using only a simple sample average. In order to determine the spread, a data fitting method was introduced. Regarding methyl mercaptan the spread of the threshold distribution was more widespread compared with other smells, even in the young, and this tendency was clearer with the recognition threshold. It was also found that 76 % of the elderly did not notice any deterioration in their olfactory ability.

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