Nanodisc-Based Bioelectronic Nose Using Olfactory Receptor Produced in Escherichia coli for the Assessment of the Death-Associated Odor Cadaverine

Cadaverine (CV), a death-associated odor, is an important target molecule for various sensor applications, including the evaluation of food spoilage. In this study, we developed an oriented nanodisc (ND)-functionalized bioelectronic nose (ONBN), based on carbon nanotube transistors and nanodiscs embedded with an olfactory receptor produced in Escherichia coli (E. coli) for detection of CV. To fabricate ONBN devices, a trace-amine-associated receptor 13c (TAAR13c) binding to CV was produced in E. coli, purified, reconstituted into NDs, and assembled, in the desired orientation, onto a carbon- nanotube-based field-effect transistor with floating electrodes. The ONBN showed high performance in terms of sensitivity and selectivity. Moreover, the ONBN was used to measure CV in diverse real-food samples for the determination of food freshness. These results indicate ONBN devices can be utilized to evaluate the quality of food samples quantitatively, which should enable versatile practical applications such as food safety and preservative development. Moreover, the ONBN could provide a useful tool for detection of corpses, which could be practically used in disaster responses.