"The synthetic tongue is made of a gel that contains milk powder, acrylic acid and choline chloride. When a current is applied to the gel, its chloride and hydrogen ions can conduct electricity because they are mobile. To monitor changes in conductivity, the scientists placed the gel between copper sheets and connected the whole contraption to a workstation that measures the electric current."
"The team's solution was "inspired by the spicy-neutralizing effect of milk", they write in the paper. Milk "proteins that affect our perception of spiciness" relieve the burn of a spicy dish, explains Carolyn Ross, a food scientist at Washington State University in Pullman. Capsaicin - the compound that gives chilli peppers their spice - interacts with the milk proteins in the gel to form bulky complexes that disrupt ion flow. As a result, when the tongue encounters capsaicin, its conductivity drops."
A gel-based artificial tongue determines spiciness across foods ranging from bell pepper to Sichuan 'facing heaven' chili by measuring electrical conductivity changes. The gel contains milk powder, acrylic acid, and choline chloride and sits between copper sheets connected to a current-measuring workstation. Applied current mobilizes chloride and hydrogen ions so the gel conducts electricity; capsaicin interacts with milk proteins in the gel to form bulky complexes that disrupt ion flow, causing conductivity to drop. The device leverages milk's spicy-neutralizing chemistry to quantify capsaicin levels precisely, enabling heat-level measurements useful for food quality control without risking human taste buds.
Read at Nature
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