Avoid Licking Spicy Foods
Researchers from China have reportedly developed an artificial “tongue” designed to swiftly assess the spice levels in food, employing a familiar taste-testing technique.
The device, which is about the size of a small, clear, square softgel, is intended for users to place on their tongue to evaluate the flavor profile of a meal before actually consuming it.
“Our flexible artificial tongue holds great promise for applications such as portable taste-monitoring devices, mobile humanoid robots, or even for helping patients with sensory disorders like Ageusia,” commented Weijun Deng, the study’s lead author.
The prototype, featured in the magazine ACS Sensors, draws inspiration from casein protein in milk, which has the ability to absorb capsaicin—the substance responsible for the heat in chili peppers.
Researcher Jing Hu and the team built on the fact that this capsaicin can be neutralized through interaction with casein. They aimed to create an artificial tongue using casein mixed into an electrochemical gel.
This innovation enables the measurement of spiciness through shifts in electrical current which occur when casein binds with capsaicin.
By incorporating powdered milk into the gel sensor, they successfully detected capsaicin and other pungent components.
To fashion the tongue-shaped film, the researchers blended acrylic acid, choline chloride, and skimmed milk powder, then exposed the mixture to UV light, resulting in a flexible, opaque gel capable of conducting electricity.
The team tested eight different spicy items, including a variety of peppers and hot sauces, observing changes in electrical current to gauge spiciness.
Results were promising; just ten seconds after applying capsaicin to the film, the current dropped, indicating its potential as a spice-detecting tongue.
This material could sense spice concentrations both below and above human perception levels.
Additionally, it successfully identified other pungent flavors typically found in hot sauces like ginger, black pepper, horseradish, garlic, and onion.
Interestingly, when taste testers evaluated the spiciness of the same spices and chili peppers, the artificial tongue’s readings aligned closely with the panel’s assessments.
