The main source of the human body odour is an axillary region. Human body odour is individually specific and results from genetic and environmental factors. Human body odour is an important sexual attractant for potential partners. It is influenced by environmental factors, such as an emotional state and health. Important environmental factors influencing human body odour are also eating habits. However, we know very little about how particular dietary components shape our body odour. Only the effect of red meat and garlic consumption have been tested. Here we tested the effect of caffeine (from usual source and guarana) and beta- carotene. In our three experiments we used a balanced within-subject experimental design. Volunteers donated twice their body odour: once after ingestion of the tested substance, second time in the control situation. Samples were then assessed for their attractiveness and intensity by group of women. Results showed that caffeine consumption may influence negatively attractiveness and intensity of human body odour. Guarana and beta-carotene did not show any significant results. These results partially confirmed that dietary factors influence the quality of the human body odour. This field should be further studied as a part of the environmental factors influencing human...

This diploma thesis deals with the natural antioxidants present in cereals, especially in barley (Hordeum vulgare). A close attention is paid to the study of carotenoids determination was conducted. In the experimental part, the method of beta-carotene determination was optimized using high-performance liquid chromatography, diode array detector and mass detector (HPLC/DAD/APCI-MS). The method was used for the beta-carotene and lutein determination in the samples of barleycorn, malt and green barley. This method involves the sample saponification, extraction by diethylether, followed by separation on ODS Hypersil 250x4,6 mm, 5m column, using MTBE/MeOH (20:80) as mobile phase and spectrophotometric detection (450 nm). Quantitative analysis was implemented in the HPLC/DAD system. The MS detector was used for identification of analytes. A number of still unpublished data about the content of beta-carotene and lutein in several varieties of malting barley, malt and green barley are stated in this thesis. The highest content of beta-carotene was found in the green barley sample of variety Malz, harvested in first grow phase (8,49 mg/kg of the dry matter). The content of beta-carotene in barleycorn is relatively low (0,07-0,14 mg/kg of the dry matter). The content of beta-carotene is several times higher in the malt produced from barleycorn (0,24-0,56 mg/kg of the dry matter). The diploma thesis was implemented in the Research Institute of Brewing and Malting, Plc. in Brno.

Selected methods of Raman spectroscopy, like surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and single molecule Raman spectroscopy, are described in this diploma work. The basis of two methods for numerical modelling of optical properties of micro- and nanoparticles are prefaced. The methods are Discrete Dipole Approximation and Finite Difference Time Domain. Micro- and nanoparticles are used in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and other nanospectroscopic methods. Further, the main instrumentation needed for Raman spectroscopy is described. The first part of experimental section of this work is numerical modelling of photonic nanojet that occures behind dielectric microparticles. This phenomenon leads to a new technique of confocal microscopy with Raman spectra measuring. The second experimental section contains results of Raman spectra measurement with beta-carotene and surface-enhanced Raman spectra of beta-carotene in silver-sol solution.