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Mold Odor Prints for K9 Detection Training
Real MVOC Mold Odor, No Live Cultures
Safe Mold Detection Dog Training Aid
Precision Explosives Mold Odor Prints are built for handlers and trainers who want a clean odor picture, consistent sessions, and none of the mess that comes with growing and storing live mold.
Train your detection dog on true mold odor - without handling, storing, or culturing colonies.
What is a Mold Odor Print?
Mold detection dogs don't smell mold the way we picture it. They alert to microbial volatile organic compounds - MVOCs - the gases mold releases as it grows and metabolizes. That's the odor picture your dog needs to learn.
A Mold Odor Print is a non-hazardous mold detection training aid that carries the true odor profile of a lab-verified mold source, without shipping you a live, sporulating culture. You get real target odor in a format that's stable session to session, easy to place, and doesn't seed your training environment with viable spores.
Because you're not maintaining live colonies, there's no petri-dish routine, no biohazard storage, and no worry..
Benefits of Odor Prints
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Real mold odor without live mold handling
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Cleaner training
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Consistency across sessions so you can build and maintain a stable odor picture
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Convenient placement for hides and problem setups
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Long service life with simple storage and handling
How Odor Prints are Made (Contamination-Controlled Build)
Each Mold Odor Print is produced using a POCR material that is infused using real mold colonies. The odor-bearing medium is sealed between aluminum discs with no adhesives, and assembly is performed with gloved hands in a controlled environment - helping reduce contamination from other target odors and minimizing human odor transfer from handling.
Storage of the Odor Print is in a metallized Mylar re-sealable envelope that minimizes the headspace volume and prevents permeation through the envelope. This further extends the shelf life of the Odor Print and prevents contamination.
Odor Prints will last for about a year no matter how much you train with it. The only requirement is to keep it stored in is packaging. When you odor print gets dirty simply clean it off with water and let air dry.
Sizes and Equivalent Weights
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Regular Odor Print - 4 inches in length (≈20g equivalent)
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Mini Odor Print - 2.8 inches in length (≈10g equivalent)
Target Odors
Every Mold Odor Print is created from lab-verified mold source material from DSMZ. Every DSMZ catalog number corresponds to a verified, authenticated culture with established provenance.
We currently offer the five species most relevant to indoor air quality and building inspection work:
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Stachybotrys chartarum (DSM 12880): The species most associated with chronic water damage and the one most at issue in insurance and legal disputes. S. chartarum grows on wet cellulose - drywall paper, ceiling tiles, structural wood - and produces anisole (methoxybenzene) as a primary MVOC marker, detectable within seven days of active growth on building substrates (Betancourt et al., BMC Microbiology, 2013). Priority target for post-flood inspections, Sick Building Syndrome investigations, and remediation verification.
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Aspergillus fumigatus (DSM 819): Ubiquitous in indoor air, soil, and organic debris, and among the most commonly isolated species in HVAC assessments, damp building material sampling, and indoor air quality surveys. Relevant to facilities management programs and IAQ investigation teams working duct systems and air handling units.
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Penicillium chrysogenum (DSM 23825): One of the most frequently recovered molds from water-damaged buildings. P. chrysogenum grows readily on damp wallboard, wallpaper, insulation, and carpet backing, and commonly appears as a co-contaminant in multi-species mold cases. Its distinct MVOC profile has been confirmed detectable by trained detection dogs in published field validation research.
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Cladosporium sphaerospermum (DSM 104846): Among the most prevalent mold species in both indoor and outdoor environments. Particular affinity for damp surfaces, window condensation zones, bathroom grout, and cooling coil systems. Relevant beyond typical water-damage scenarios given its prevalence in lower-humidity microenvironments.
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Alternaria alternata (DSM 1102): A widespread environmental mold and well-documented allergen. A. alternata establishes quickly in early water intrusion events, making it relevant to pre-remediation and early-stage inspections. Commonly found around damp sinks, showers, and window seals.
