Study on a smell communication system using integrated bio-devices

研究了一种分析和再现气味化学成分的新型气味通信系统，分为三个步骤：(A)构建具有高气体选择性的生化气体传感器和鼻子系统；(B)制造气味再生器；(C)构建和感官评价气味通信系统。详细结果如下。(A)通过将生物催化剂（酶）固定在溶解氧电极、丝网印刷电极和氧敏光纤的传感尖端，开发了几种生化气体传感器（生物器件、生物嗅探器）。可检测气体物质：乙醇、二甲硫醚、三甲胺、甲硫醇、氨、乙醛、甲醛等(B)典型气味成分的气味再现器：乙醇（醇-）、三甲胺（鱼-）、甲硫醇（萝卜-）和二甲硫醚（海藻-气味物质），使用2台2ch气体发生器（共4ch）制备。(C)将(A)生物鼻子与(B)气体再生器连接，构建了上述成分的气味通信系统。该系统应用于食品和饮料（酒精、鱼、萝卜和海藻）的气味交流，并通过健康男性受试者的感官测试进行评估，获得了80%以上的气味传播率。

A newly smell communication system with analyzing and reproducing chemical constituents of smell was investigated with three steps, (A) Constructions of biochemical gas-sensors and nose system with high gas-selectivity, (B) Fabrication of a smell regenerator, (C) Construction and sensory evaluation of the smell communication system. The detailed results are described as follows.(A) Several kinds of biochemical gas-sensors (bio-device, bio-sniffer) were developed by immobilizing biological catalysts (enzyme) onto sensing tip of dissolved oxygen electrode, screen printed electrodes and oxygen sensitive optical fibers. Detectable gas-substances: ethanol, dimethyl sulfide, trimethylamine, methyl mercaptan, ammonia, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, etc.(B) The smell reproducer for typical smell constituents, ethanol (alcohol-), trimethylamine (fish-), methyl mercaptan (radish-) and dimethyl sulfide(seaweed-odor substance), was fabricated using 2 x 2ch gas-generators (totally 4ch).(C) The smell communication system for the above mentioned constituents was constructed by connecting (A) the bio-nose with (B) the gas-reproducer. The system was applied for smell communications of food and drink (alcohol, fish, radish and seaweed), and evaluated by the sensory test with healthy male subjects, thus obtained over 80% of smell transmissibility.