ELECTRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF LIPID-MODIFIED MONOLAYER MEMBRANES FOR TASTE SENSORS

Lipid membranes are useful materials to transform information about ta ste substances into electric signals. A lipid monolayer membrane for a taste sensor has been prepared by adsorbing lipid materials to the hy drophobic surface of a polymer membrane. The lipid-modified membranes respond to such electrolytic taste substances as HCl (sourness) or NaC l (saltiness) with large response magnitudes and such non-electrolytic substances as caffeine (bitterness) or sugar (sweetness) with high se nsitivities. Thus the present membrane has a high ability to detect ta ste.