Au₂PtNPs/hydrogel based multichannel bionic sensor for rapid evaluation of food flavor

Flavor is one of the important indicators of food quality, and the development of rapid detection methods for key flavor substances is crucial for the intelligent evaluation of food flavor. Herein, umami receptor T1R1-VFT and olfactory receptor Mor1-1 were used as sensitive elements to specifically recognize umami substances and hexanal molecules. Combining the excellent biocompatibility and electrochemical activity of Au₂PtNPs and hydrogels, the receptors are well immobilized in the three-dimensional network structure, thereby a multichannel biomimetic sensor for multiple detection of umami and hexanal was constructed. The sensor showed low detection limits of 10^-13 M and 10^-16 M for umami substances and hexanal, respectively. In addition, the sensor had high specificity and storage stability of 2-3 weeks, and it was successfully applied to assess the freshness of fish. The multichannel sensor provides an efficient and multi-dimensional analysis for food flavor evaluation to ensure food quality.