Minju Lee†, Je Won Jung‡, Daesan Kim§, Young-Joon Ahn‡, Seunghun Hong*†, and Hyung Wook Kwon*‡
† Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Institute of Applied Physics, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747, Korea
‡ Biomodulation Major, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, Korea
§ Department of Biophysics and Chemical Biology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747, Korea
*Correspondence to Seunghun Hong, Hyung Wook Kwon
Abstract
We report a floating electrode-based bioelectronic tongue mimicking insect taste systems for the detection and discrimination of umami substances. Here, carbon nanotube field-effect transistors with floating electrodes were hybridized with nanovesicles containing honeybee umami taste receptor, gustatory receptor 10 of Apis mellifera (AmGr10). This strategy enables us to discriminate between L-monosodium glutamate (MSG), best-known umami tastant, and non-umami substances with a high sensitivity and selectivity. It could also be utilized for the detection of MSG in liquid food such as chicken stock. Moreover, we demonstrated the synergism between MSG and disodium 5′-inosinate (IMP) for the umami taste using this platform. This floating electrode-based bioelectronic tongue mimicking insect taste systems can be a powerful platform for various applications such as food screening, and it also can provide valuable insights on insect taste systems.
Keywords: umami taste; carbon nanotube; nanovesicle; honeybee umami taste receptor; bioelectronic tongue