Development of a multichannel taste sensor chip for a portable taste sensor

The purpose of this study is the development of a multichannel taste sensor chip for use in a portable taste sensor. The chip comprises a set of Ti/Ag patterned electrodes with lipid/polymer membranes and a reference electrode. The electrodes are formed on a polycarbonate substrate, which is attached to a polycarbonate sheet by double-sided adhesive tape (polyimide). The polycarbonate sheet has a number of holes in it that give access to the electrodes thus forming multichannel taste sensing sites. A sensor chip was fabricated and evaluated for its performance in tasting samples with basic tastes. The reference electrode did not interact with the basic taste samples, thus providing a stable potential. The outputs from the sensor chip for the various taste samples were at the same levels as those from a conventional taste sensor, indicating that this new taste sensor could provide the key element in the development of a portable taste sensor.