The detection of volatile organic compound (VOC) mixtures is crucial in the medical and security fields. Receptor-based odorant biosensors sensitively and selectively detect odorant molecules in a solution; however, odorant molecules generally exist as VOCs in the air and exhibit poor water solubility. Therefore, techniques that enable the dissolution of poorly water-soluble VOCs using portable systems are essential for practical biosensors' applications. We previously proposed a VOC dissolution method based on water atomization to increase the surface area via the generation of fine bubbles, as a proof-of-concept; however, the system was lab-based (non-mobile) and the dissolution was limited to one VOC. In this study, we established a highly effective VOC dissolution method based on mist atomization that can be used in the field. This new method demonstrated a rapid dissolution potential of a sparsely-soluble VOC mixture with various functional groups in distilled water (DW) within 1 min, without the use of any organic solvents. Calcium imaging revealed that odorant receptor 13a-expressing Sf21 cells (Or13a cells) responded to 1-octen-3-ol in the mixture. Further, we successfully developed a field-deployable prototype vacuum and dissolution system with a simple configuration that efficiently captured and rapidly dissolved airborne 1-octen-3-ol in DW. This study proposes a field-deployable system that is appropriate for solubilizing various airborne odorant molecules and therefore is a practical strategy to use in the context of odorant biosensors.
Keywords: Fine bubble; Insect cell; Odorant biosensor; Odorant receptor; Ultrasonic spray; Volatile organic compound.
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