Behold the electronic tongue

​In the quest to continually perfect flavors, most of the innovations have come on the side of chemical or natural combinations that more accurately mimic their fat-laden counterparts. But a new approach may end up changing the flavor industry. Scientists have invented an “electronic tongue,” a sensor on a computer chip that is capable of discerning differences in artificial sweeteners and identifying natural and artificially sweet substances.

Kenneth Suslick, a scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, explained how the sensor worked in a press release: 

“We take things that smell or taste and convert their chemical properties into a visual image,” said Suslick.”This is the first practical ‘electronic tongue’ sensor that you can simply dip into a sample and identify the source of sweetness based on its colour.”

It’s about the size of a business card and has a display that mirrors a Lite-Brite board. The idea is that the sensor could be placed into a food or beverage and used as an inexpensive form of quality control — revealing if the flavors are off or if a product has been contaminated.

Wired notes that the history of electronic sensors is not a proud one. A robot designed for a purpose similar to that of the “electronic tongue” confused the flavor of the human hand with prosciutto. And Suslik’s is only able to detect sweet flavors. It isn’t advanced enough to detect bitter, salty, sour and umami.

So your tongue isn’t obsolete — yet. 

[Image via Flickr: t altered art]