The Dependence of Nonlinear Electrical Properties of Yeast Suspensions on Temperature and Electrode Shape

抄録

We observed the temperature dependence of nonlinearity in the response waveform from a yeast suspension when an alternating current (AC) voltage was applied. This observation is based on repeatable data of nonlinearity measured over time. The nonlinearity in the response of the living yeast suspension was unique, and a relationship between this nonlinearity and the growth state of yeast was identified. We suggest that this nonlinearity reflects the electrical properties inherent in living organisms. Measuring the nonlinearity of the yeast suspension response and accounting for temperature permits us to rapidly distinguish between living and dead yeast. Moreover, we found that the nonlinearity depended on the shape of the electrodes. For each electrode shape, we investigated the effects of field intensity and its distortion on the nonlinearity of the response using a computer simulation. We suggest that the nonlinearity is strongly related to the field intensity and its distortion near the electrodes.