AI tongue can detect difference between Coke and Pepsi, research finds

Eventually, scientists say the technology could be used to find contaminants in foods that could make consumers sick, or detect when something is no longer safe to eat.

Move over taste testers, there’s a new contender in the world of flavour evaluation — and it’s made out of circuits and sensors.

And eventually, scientists say the technology could be used to find contaminants in foods that could make consumers sick, or detect when something is no longer safe to eat.

Researchers from Penn State in Pennsylvania have developed an electronic tongue that identifies differences in similar liquids, such as milk with varying water content, and products like soda types and coffee blends. It can even distinguish between Pepsi and Coke with a high degree of accuracy.

The research, published Wednesday in Nature, found the AI tongue is capable of detecting, classifying, and assessing the quality and freshness of different substances. This means that if milk is contaminated, the tongue may be able to detect it.

“We’re trying to make an artificial tongue, but the process of how we experience different foods involves more than just the tongue,” said corresponding author Saptarshi Das, professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State.

“We have the tongue itself, consisting of taste receptors that interact with food species and send their information to the gustatory cortex — a biological neural network.”

The gustatory cortex, located in the brain, perceives and interprets tastes beyond the basic sweet, sour, bitter, salty and savoury categories detected by taste receptors, the researchers explained. As the brain becomes more familiar with these tastes, it becomes better at detecting the subtle nuances between different favours.

The researchers aimed to replicate the function of the gustatory cortex by developing a machine-learning algorithm designed to mimic it.