Detection of Taste Interaction Using Taste Sensing System and Quantitative Taste Estimation

味觉物质之间存在着相互作用，如抑制效应的协同作用。味精和IMP的共存增强了鲜味，而甜味物质抑制了苦味物质的口感强度。在医疗行业中，对苦味抑制效果的客观定量评价是一个很大的问题。此外，涩味和辛辣味在味觉中起着重要的作用，但它们的感觉机制尚不清楚。它们被认为能刺激疼痛感。在这项研究中，我们试图建立一个综合的味觉评价系统，包括味觉相互作用、涩味和辛辣味。多通道味觉传感器是由多种脂质/聚合物膜组成，用于将味觉物质的信息转化为电信号。通过测量膜电位的变化，研究了脂质膜对苦味物质的响应。然后，我们对味觉传感器的输出应用主成分分析，以量化苦味。此外，还研究了添加甜物质后苦味强度的变化。结果表明，传感器输出很好地代表了人类的味觉测试。我们还成功地用SPR（表面等离子体共振）测量了尖锐度。这些结果表明味觉定量评价的研究是成功的。

There exist interactions between taste substances, such as synergistic effect of a suppression effect. Coexistence of MSG and IMP enhances the umami taste, while sweet substances suppress the taste intensity of bitter substances. In the medical industries, objective and quantitative estimation of suppression effects of bitterness is a large problem. Further, astringency and pungency play important roles in taste but sensing mechanism of these tastes have not been made clear. They are thought to stimulate a sense of pain.In this study, we tried to develop a synthetic taste estimation system involving taste interaction, astringency and pungency. A multichannel taste sensor is composed of several kinds of lipid/polymer membranes for transforming information about taste substances into electric signals. Responses of the lipid membranes to bitter substances were investigated by measuring changes of membrane potentials. Then we applied a principal component analysis to the outputs of the taste sensor in order to quantify bitterness. Furthermore, intensity change of bitterness by adding sweet substances was investigated. As a results, it was shown that the sensor outputs represent a human gustatory test very well. We also succeeded in measurement of pungency using SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance). These results imply that study of quantitative estimation of taste was successfully made.