3. Contribution of bioelectronic noses

3.1 Bioelectronic nose design principle: sensitive elements for odor detection

The study of olfactory receptors has given impetus to a new generation of biosensors, based on olfactory proteins, which are specific and more sensitive than traditional physico-chemical sensors. The specific characteristics of olfactory receptors potentially make it possible to obtain sensors with very high specificity for odorants and extreme sensitivity, since the physiological detection thresholds of receptors are very low, down to 10 ^–14 M. The reproducibility of these biosensors would be ensured by the direct detection of ligand capture by its receptor, i.e. a highly specific biological detection phenomenon. Finally, the range of odorant perception is potentially...