Electronic tongue.

A taste sensor with global selectivity is composed of several kinds of lipid/polymer membranes for transforming information of taste substances into an electric signal. The output of this electronic tongue shows different patterns for chemical substances which have different taste qualities, such as saltiness and sourness. Amino acids can be classified into several groups according to their own tastes from sensor outputs. The taste of foodstuffs such as beer, sake, coffee, mineral water, milk and vegetables can be discussed quantitatively using the electronic tongue, which provides the objective scale for the human sensory expression.