Detection of Taste Substances Using Surface Plasmon Resonance with Lipid LB Membranes Includin Proteins

Interactions between a lipid-protein membrane and taste substances were investigated using SPR (surface plasmon resonance). The used membrane was the LB (Langmuir-Blodgett) multi-layered film composed of DHP (dihexadecyl phosphate) and the sugar-binding protein ConA. The LB membrane including ConA showed larger responses to almost all the taste substances, such as quinine, caffeine, sucrose and NaCl than the LB membrane without ConA. Suggestion was also made on the interactions of astringent and pungent substances with the charged lipid LB membrane.