Researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea have developed an artificial electronic tongue system that mimics the human gustatory system, which is the sensory system responsible for the perception of taste and flavor.

Intended for applications in the food, liquor, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, the electronic tongue features sensors and deep-learning technology for accurately measuring saltiness, sourness, bitterness and sweetness simultaneously.

Source: DGIST

Because the electronic tongue is an artificial taste sensor capable of distinguishing assorted tastes and evaluating features by replicating the gustatory system, it promises to be a tool in developing new products and quality control.

According to its developers, the electronic tongue serves as the taste receptors of taste buds, and substances convert chemical data into electrical signals. The brain then receives the electrical signals via a neural network and distinguishes the taste.

The researchers reportedly created four sensors to distinguish each taste as well as a millimeter-scale well structure for the sensor element to enable stable measurement. Additionally, a deep-learning algorithm was introduced to conduct taste analysis.

In the lab, the team tested six different wines and performed taste profiling experiments with the electronic tongue system. Using deep-learning technology, the team classified the six different wines with a probability of more than 95% and employed a system that made wine recommendations similar to the existing wines.

The technology is detailed in the article, "Taste Bud-Inspired Single-Drop Multitaste Sensing for Comprehensive Flavor Analysis with Deep Learning Algorithms," which appears in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.