{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T13:49:41Z","timestamp":1772632181366,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,25]],"date-time":"2024-11-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1732492800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"JSPS KAKENHI","award":["JP21H05006"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JP21H05006"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Currently, lipid\/polymer membranes are used in taste sensors to quantify food taste. This research aims to improve sweetness sensors by more selectively detecting uncharged sweetening substances, which have difficulty obtaining a potentiometric response. Lipid\/polymer membranes with varying amounts of tetradodecylammonium bromide (TDAB) and 1,2,4-benzene tricarboxylic acid (trimellitic acid) were prepared. The carboxyl groups of trimellitic acid bind metal cations, and the sweetness intensity is estimated by measuring the potential change, as a sensor response, when these cations are complexed with sugars. This research showed that the potential of a sensor using the membrane with enough trimellitic acid in a sucrose solution remained constant, regardless of TDAB amounts, but the potential in the tasteless, so-called reference solution, depended on TDAB. By optimizing the content of TDAB and trimellitic acid, a sensor response of \u2212100 mV was achieved, which is over 20% more sensitive than a previous sensor. This sensor also demonstrated increased selectivity to sweetness, with similar interference from other tastes (saltiness, sourness, umami, and bitterness) compared to previous sensors. As a result, the sensitivity to sweetness was successfully improved. This result contributes to the development of novel sensors, further reducing the burden on humans in quality control and product development.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules29235573","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,26]],"date-time":"2024-11-26T04:02:18Z","timestamp":1732593738000},"page":"5573","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Improved Sensitivity of a Taste Sensor Composed of Trimellitic Acids for Sweetness"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"29","author":[{"given":"Tatsukichi","family":"Watanabe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School and Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sojiro","family":"Kumura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School and Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7314-5540","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shunsuke","family":"Kimura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Development Center for Five-Sense Devices, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan"},{"name":"Faculty of Nutritional Sciences, Nakamura Gakuen University, 5-7-1 Befu, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0198, Japan"},{"name":"Food and Health Innovation Center, Nakamura Gakuen University, 5-7-1 Befu, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0198, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kiyoshi","family":"Toko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research and Development Center for Five-Sense Devices, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan"},{"name":"Food and Health Innovation Center, Nakamura Gakuen University, 5-7-1 Befu, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0198, Japan"},{"name":"Institute for Advanced Study, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan"},{"name":"Graduate School of Nutritional Sciences, Nakamura Gakuen University, 5-7-1 Befu, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka 814-0198, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Deng, Y., Beahm, D.R., Ionov, S., and Sarpeshkar, R. 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