A microfluidic sensor for continuously measuring membrane potential changes in interactions between taste substances and lipid polymer membranes

To evaluate the taste changes experienced by humans over time, we developed a microfluidic sensor for continuously measuring membrane potential changes in interactions between taste substances and lipid polymer membranes. The performance of the proposed sensing device was evaluated by determining the dependence on concentration using tannic acid (astringency substance) solutions and measuring the selectivity using other taste quality samples. Furthermore, to demonstrate the practicality of the sensor, we measured three samples of red wine. The fabricated microfluidic sensor could measure changes in membrane potential over time and was shown to have high selectivity comparable to that of the commercialized sensor. In addition, measurements were performed on a real sample of red wine, and the membrane potential response over time was measured for several different wines. Thus, it was shown that a new sensor could be realized for objectively quantifying changes in taste perceived by humans over time.