A novel strategy based on mouse organoid biosensor for detecting umami substances and their synergistic effect

Conventional analysis systems face challenges in quantifying the umami perception and synergy within complex food matrices, especially mimicking human taste discrimination. We thereby developed an umami biosensor based on taste bud organoids and flow cytometry (TOS-FC), which exhibits a broad dynamic range (10^-7 to 2 × 10^-1 M for monosodium glutamate (MSG)), strong linear correlation (R² > 98 %), and stable operability beyond sensor lifespan. The TOS-FC platform successfully quantified three representative umami stimuli-MSG, inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP), and glutamic acid-proline dipeptide (EP, a representative umami peptide). It also demonstrated superior detection of synergistic effects, such as MSG + IMP and EP + IMP combinations, compared to the electronic tongue. Partial least squares discriminant analysis revealed a strong correlation between TOS-FC measurements and sensory evaluation, demonstrating high predictive validity. This biomimetic sensing strategy establishes a new paradigm for physiologically relevant taste analyses in complex food systems, with potential applications in food quality research.