Biomimetic Sensor Technology

Citation

Toko, K. (2001), "Biomimetic Sensor Technology", Sensor Review, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 323-324. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2001.21.4.323.1

This book addresses the development of intelligent sensors and systems to detect taste and odour. These sensors have been harder to develop than other forms of sensor as the number of chemicals to be measured is so very large. Biomimetic Sensor Technology will be of interest to researchers in food science, biochemistry, biophysics, medical science, biotechnology and electronic and mechanical engineering.

Chapter 1 introduces sensors and measurement, and presents the fundamental units, the classification of measurement methods, multiple regression analysis and principal component analysis. Chemo‐reception, biological membranes, and a discussion of how the reception of taste and odour substances are percepted in the brain, are addressed in Chapter 2. Biomimetic membrane devices, and biosensors are presented in chapter 3 and 4, respectively. Topics covered include: phase transition of artificial lipid membranes, excitability, positively charged lipid membranes, the principal of biosensors, enzyme sensors, microbial sensors and integrated type sensors.

Chapter 5 discusses the different types of odour sensor. These include metal oxide gas sensors, conducting polymers, quartz oscillators, gas‐sensitive field‐effect devices, monolayer membranes, and surface acoustic wave devices (SAW).

The following two chapters present methods for measuring taste. They include a multichannel taste sensor, impedance measurement, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), the surface photo‐voltage method, the taste of amino acids, the taste of foods, and the suppression of bitterness.

The final chapter of Biomimetic Sensor Technology discusses the discrimination of wine flavour using taste and odour sensors. It discusses how the integration of a range of sensor types may lead towards a sensor which can fully reproduce human senses.