Electronic AI Tongue Advances Food Authenticity Testing
Researchers have developed an electronic AI tongue that can assess food safety by determining if the items are no longer edible, according to findings published in Nature journal.
How Does Electronic AI Tongue Work?
The AI electronic tongue is inspired by ion-sensitive field-effect transistor, where the AI tongue detects ions in liquids, converting data into electrical signals to assess food safety to prevent illnesses by delivering data on products’ safety for consumption.
The AI tongue diagnosis happens when the electronic tongue transmits ion-detection signals to a computer system where AI analyzes the data to determine whether the liquids are fresh or spoiled, opening an entire new scope for food and beverages safety for consumption beyond expiration dates.
What sets this small device apart from other devices, is its ability to mirror the human taste when it comes to food and beverages
“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 engineer from Penn State University and co-author of this study, Saptarshi Das, said in a statement.
During the testing phase of the electronic tongue stimulator, researchers provided the neural network with some parameters to follow when figuring out the amount of acid available in the liquids.
The results of the already fixed parameters were 91% accurate, whereas when the network was defining the parameters with AI, then the accuracy of acidity rose over 95%.
Das also added that the AI electronic tongue sensor is designed to duplicate and improve the process in a bid to provide a more accurate analysis of food quality better than traditional methods.
AI-Tongue Prevent Illness and Reduce Waste
The team highlighted the application of electronic tongue powered by AI does not only improve food safety but also could help address a global issue, which is food waste and prevent illnesses linked to food poisoning or even food allergy given its ability to offer more reliable information on whether food is still edible, which is also particularly useful for products such as fruit juice, milk, or other easily spoiled liquids that get early thrown away.
This electronic tongue may have wide-ranging implications in the food industry, from testing for spoilage at supermarkets and food production plants to home testing. This device will also help restaurants and food services make sure they serve fresh products only.
As advances in electronic noses and tongues for food authenticity testing such as the ones present in this AI tongue are continuously evolving, this latest small device might become part of everyone’s routine to check whether food is still safe to eat or not.
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