Response Evaluation of Mold Odorant Mixture Using a Sensor Array of Cell-based Odorant Sensor Based on Multiple Insect Olfactory Receptors

Mold contamination of agricultural crops by fungi release several types of volatile organic compounds, which may be used to detect early-stage contamination. In this study, a sensor array composed of newly developed cell-based odorant biosensor elements with multiple types of insect olfactory receptors was evaluated via responses to several odorant mixtures. Owing to mutually overlapped response profiles of insect olfactory receptors, the response pattern of the sensor array represented a difference in concentration and odorant mixture components. Thus, our insect-based odorant sensors and a sensor array have the potential to identify odorant mixtures from a target analyte.