TECHNICAL SEMINAR ON

TASTE SENSORS or ELECTRONIC TONGUE

A technical seminar report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Technology Under BPUT

By Name: Shekhar Suman Mohanty Regd. No: 0801289013 Branch: Electronics & Telecommunication Year: 2011-2012

TRIDENT ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY BHUBANESWAR

DEPT. OF ELECTRONICS & TELECOMMUNICATION ENGINEERING. TRIDENT ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY, BHUBANESWAR

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Shekhar Suman Mohanty , bearing Regd. No. student of 8thsemester,Branch: Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Trident Academy of Technology, Bhubaneswar have submitted seminar report on TASTE SENSORS or ELECTRONIC TONGUE. This is required for the fulfillment for Bachelors Degree in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering under BPUT.

Seminar coordinator

Head of the Dept.

I take this opportunity to express my hearty thanks to all those who individually as well as collectively helped me in the successful completion of this seminar. I would like to express my immense gratitude and sincere thanks to Prof. Subhendu Kumar Behera, whose co-operative guidance has helped me in successful completion of this seminar on TASTE SENSOR OR ELECTRONIC TONGUE. I am very much thankful to Professor Mrs(Dr).Sakuntala Mahapatra (HOD, Dept. of Electronics) and seminar coordinator Asst. Prof. Rabindra Bhojray for helping me to complete the seminar successfully. .

I express my deep sense of gratitude and appreciation to the entire faculty members in Dept. of Electronics& Telecommunication for their valuable and scholarly guidance, constant supervision and timely advice and non-teaching staff of wouldnt have been successful. Name: Shekhar Suman Mohanty Branch: ETC(A) Regd. No: 0801289013 the Dept. of Electronics & Telecommunication and my friends without whom my endeavors

ABSTRACT
TASTE SENSOR ELECTRONIC TONGUE
The Electronics Sensor Technology uses non obtrusive sensing methods, employing its uses in very vital applications in industries. Taste Sensors, also known as Artificial or Electronic tongues, measure and compare taste. These provide a quantitative and objective scale and find applications in food, beverages and pharmaceuticals industries .The liquid samples are directly analyzed without any preparation, whereas solids require preliminary dissolution before measurement. Reference electrode and sensors are dipped are dipped for 120 seconds in a beaker containing a test solution. A potentiometric difference between each sensor and a reference electrode is measured by means of a measuring device and recorded by an e-tongue software. Depending on the recorded reading, five taste sensations namely, sweet, bitter, salty, savory and sour can be distinguished. These are used for analyzing flavor ageing in beverages, Detect undesirable, harmful, toxics and taints, Analyzing medicine stability in terms of taste etc.

Submitted By:Name: Shekhar Suman Mohanty 0801289013 Semester Regd. No.: Roll No.: 03, 7th Branch: ETC (A)

CONTENT
1. INTRODUCTION .. 01 2. HUMAN TONGUE.04 3. CORRELATION BETWEEN HUMAN TONGUE AND TASTE SENSOR.12 4. WHAT IS HUMAN TONGUE ???......................................................13 5. HISTORY.14 6. SYSTEM ATTRIBUTES.19 7. MECHANISME AND WORKING. 21 8. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES...25 9. APPLICATION OF ELECTRONIC TONGUE...26 10. CONCLUSION...29 11. REFERENCE..30

INTRODUCTION
Since our childhood we know that there are five senses in our body. They are the most important things in our life because without sensory organs we cant even think of a normal life .Just think of a life without any of the sense and it becomes devastating. We human basically have five senses i.e. nose to smell, eyes to see, ears to listen, skin to feel the touch & tongue to taste. As we know that all those sensory organ has their part to do in our life such as when we smell a thing we tend to use our nose similarly for the rest of the sensory organs but in due course of life we tend to neglect the importance of some of the sense organs such as taste which is sensed by tongue. Tongue is one of the most important organs of human which enables us taste different flavour of different things we eat or try to know through taste. Taste refers to the ability to detect the flavor of substances such as food, certain minerals, and poisons, etc. Humans receive tastes through sensory organs called taste buds, or gustatory calyculi, concentrated on the upper surface of the tongue. The sensation of taste can be categorized into five basic tastes: sweet, bitterness, sour, salty, and umami. The recognition and awareness of umami is a relatively recent development in Western cuisine. MSG produces a strong umami taste. As taste senses are both harmful and beneficial things, all basic tastes are classified as either appetitive or aversive, depending upon the effect the things they sense have on our bodies. The basic tastes that are here to concontribute only partially to the sensation and flavor of food in the mouth other factors include smell, detected by the olfactory epithelium of

the nose; texture, detected through a variety of mechanoreceptors, muscle nerves, etc.; temperature, detected by thermoreceptors, and spiciness or piquance also called Chemesthesis With the advancement in Electronics Engineering, Sensors have made their through to very vital applications in industries. A sensor is a device that changes various types of physiochemical properties of a target to a different state, usually electrical signals. We have various types of Sensors such as Motion Sensors, Seismic Sensors, Taste Sensors, etc.

6 WHAT IS TASTE?
In its first definition, the American Heritage Dictionary limits the tastes perceived by the taste buds to four; in fact there are at least six in addition to the classic four, there is the taste of fat, and a taste called umami. Umami means delicious in Japanese, and is the word for the savory taste of meat. In fact, our taste buds are designed to tell us about the nutritional qualities of the food we eat: sweet for ripe fruits and carbohydrates, sour for unripe fruit and vitamin C, salty for salt and other minerals, bitter for poisonous plants, umami for protein, and fat. The second definition is the one most people have in mind when they talk about the taste of a food taste, in this sense, means flavor. Better than any of the other components of flavor, smell allows us to determine the specific food we are eating, for example to distinguish a lemon from a lime. In fact most people can distinguish among 1000 odors, and perfumers among as many as 10000! Taste is a survival mechanism, alerting us to potentially harmful or potentially nutritious substances. The receptors for taste sensation are located in the taste buds. There are nearly 10,000 taste buds located on the tongue of young adults and a few are found on soft palate, inner surface of cheeks, pharynx and epiglottis. Each taste bud is an oval body consisting of three kinds of epithelial cells: supporting cells,

gustatory cells and basal cells. The gustatory system generally has two basic functions. The first is the clear distinction between the nutritive and beneficial compounds and the second is the detection of potentially harmful or toxic substances. Taste receptor cells must be able to detect wide range of tastes from simple ions to complex molecules.

7 WHAT IS A SENSOR?
A sensor (also called detector) is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated glass tube. A thermocouple converts temperature to an output voltage which can be read by a voltmeter. For accuracy, most sensors are calibrated against known standards. There are many types of sensors used for various applications that detect different types of measurands i.e. Chemical, Thermal, environmental, metrological, taste, smell, touch etc. There are inventions or devices that can extend the human physical senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch (pressure, temperature and gravity). And to appreciate the role of the environmental sensors by considering them as an extension of human senses. Sensors sense the same phenomena as human senses, but: They are there 24 hours a day They are there 365 days a year Their measurements are more precise (sensitive & selective) Their measurements are reproducible

Your senses consist of a very narrow band of what is possible, but there are devices that help people sense things beyond their capabilities or limitations. Each of our senses needs a certain amount of energy to work properly 1. Light must be a certain brightness to see. 2. Sound must be loud enough to hear. 3. The pressure on our skin must be great enough to feel. The skin must be sensitive enough to detect the difference in temperature hot or cold. Some of the types of sensors are: Artificial nose Smoke detector Microphones Ultrasound devices 8 X-RAY machines Night vision goggles Electronic Tongue Magnetic field sensors(Compasses) Electric field sensors(Electrometers) Thermometer Litmus paper Security appliances Traffic Lights Cell phones Motion sensors

There are environmental parameters that are important to our welfare and survival that cannot be sensed by the human senses. For example: Radioactivity, UV Exposure, Carbon monoxide, radon etc. As a result sensors have became an indespensible part of our life in a very small period of time.

9 HUMAN TONGUE
The tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste (Gustation), as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly supplied with nerves and blood vessels. In humans a secondary function of the tongue is phonetic articulation. The tongue also serves as a natural means of cleaning one's teeth. The ability to perceive different tastes is not localised in different parts of the tongue, as is widely believed. This error arose because of misinterpretation of some 19th century research. The human tongue consist of two types of muscular part they are called as extrinsic muscles and intrinsic muscles. What are taste sensors or taste buds? Human tongue that perceives taste is made up of cells. Taste papillae can be seen on the tongue as little red dots or raised bumps, particularly at the front of the tongue. Taste buds are a collection of cells on these papillae; the buds are generally invisible by the naked eye. The cell's skin, biological membrane, consists of a double layer of lipid molecules and proteins. Lipids are oil-like substances

contained in our bodies. Lipids are made up of the water loving (hydrophilic) part and the water hating (hydrophobic) part. There is a lot of water in both the inside and outside of the cell and hence lipid molecules make up a double layer on the biological membrane, with the hydrophilic part facing the inside and outside of the cell. In water, the membrane is electrically charged because the hydrophilic parts of lipid molecules are ionizing. Also, the inside and outside of the cell are full of different concentrations of salt-like substances

10 Taste receptors can be categorized (on the basis of taste perception) into five primary categories: Sweet, Sour, Salt, Umami and Bitter. Sweet receptors respond to substances such as sugar, saccharin and some amino acids. Sour receptors respond to hydrogen ions (H+) or acidity of the solution. Salty and Bitter receptors respond to metal ions in solution and alkaloids respectively. Umami (Delicious), a taste discovered by the Japanese, is elicited by the amino acids.Glutamate which appears to be responsible for the beef taste of steak and the flavor of monosodium glutamate, a food additive. ARTIFICIAL TASTE SENSOR Artificial taste sensor is an intelligent electronic cum biophysical device that could be explored to artificially reproduce the sense of taste, which is otherwise a complex, comprehensive sense of man. Several kinds of foodstuffs, mineral waters and pharmaceutical formulations could be

discriminated /differentiated easily using the taste sensor. Different electric potentials generated by chemical substances after interaction with the lipid/polymer membrane of the taste sensor is the basis of taste discrimination by the sensor. Hence, the taste sensors can be considered as a valuable tool in the evolution of bitterness intensity in function of time, which is essential in the selection of an optimal formulation. In the present study we have tried to explain the theory, composition and functioning of a taste sensor along with the potential applications of the same.

11 CORRELATION BETWEEN HUMAN TONGUE AND TASTE SENSORS

Artificial tongue and a human tongue have a lot in common their processing style and procedure are almost equal. Both the human tongue and artificial tongue work on the following process: Acquisition

Data processing Results

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WHAT IS A ELECTRONIC TONGUE?

Taste has an important role in the development of oral pharmaceuticals, with respect to patient acceptability and compliance, and is one of the prime factors determining the market penetration and commercial success of oral formulations, especially in pediatric medicine. Hence, pharmaceutical industries invest time, money and resources into developing palatable and pleasant-

tasting products and industries adopt various taste-masking techniques to develop an appropriate formulation. Taste assessment is one important quality-control parameter for evaluating taste masked formulations. Any new molecular entity, drug or formulation can be assessed using in vitro or in vivo methods for taste. In vivo approaches include human taste panel studies, electrophysiological methods and animal preference studies. Several innovative in vitro drug release studies utilizing taste sensors, specially designed apparatus and drug release by modified pharmacopoeia methods have been reported in the literature for assessing the taste of drugs or drug products. The multichannel taste sensor, also known as the electronic tongue is claimed to determine taste in a similar manner to biological taste perception in humans. 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. Such devices have been mainly used in the field of food analysis: for classification of wine, beer, tea and herbal products, tomato samples, coffee, and milk. An electronic tongue was also applied in the analysis of industrial samples (fermentation samples) and in environment monitoring (water quality analysis, identification on toxic substances like heavy metals and plant samples). Evaluation of a taste sensor instrument (electronic tongue) for use in formulation development. The examples demonstrate the electronic tongues utility in characterizing bitterness and taste masking of the bitterness.

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HISTORY
The artificial taste sensor, otherwise known as Electronic Tongue has been used for the estimation of food tastes by mimicking human gustatory system. It consists of an array of sensing elements, and a data processing unit as an alternative for the human tongue and the brain respectively. The sensing element consists of an array of transducers that are nonselective and

non-specific like that of human taste buds. The sensor array generates a pattern, which is in close proximity with the characteristics of the samples analyzed. Furthermore, such taste sensors have a global selectivity that has the potential to classify an enormous range of chemicals into several groups on the basis of properties such as taste intensities and qualities. A tool that has recently become available is the electronic tongue. The electronic tongue, which was introduced in 1989 and which can be considered as a promising device in quantitative and qualitative analysis of multispecies solutions. An Electronic Tongue is an instrument which comprises of electrochemical cell, sensor array and appropriate pattern recognition system, capable of recognizing simple or complex soluble nonvolatile molecules which forms a taste of a sample. The Sensor array consists of broadly tuned (non-specific) potentiometric metal based electrodes that are treated with a variety of common anion of a salt in solution chemical materials. In 1989 Hidekazu Ikezaki who was a researcher in the research laboratory of Anritsu corporation (Japan), who is currently president of Intelligent Sensor Technology (Japan), launched research and development on taste sensors collaboratively with Dr. Kiyoshi Toko who was an assistant professor of Kyushu University at that time, who is now a distinguished professor of Kyushu University. Also Mr.Kenshi Hayashi who was a graduate student of Kyushu University at that time,who is now a professor of Kyushu University, and Dr. Prof. Satoru Iiyama of Kinki University joined the research project to study it extensively. Different types of taste sensors have been invented in the due course of time but has been removed by the new one due to there advantage over the disadvantage of the previous one. Some of the the successful taste sensors are :14 Taste Sensing System SA401 (1993 to 1996) Taste Sensing System SA402 (1996 to 2000) Taste Sensing System SA402B (2000 to 2007) Taste Sensing System TS-5000Z (2007 to present)

1. Taste Sensing System SA401 (1993 to 1996)

After around 4 years of the collaborative research between Anritsu corporation and Kyushu University, we successfully developed the first commercial Taste Sensing System SA401 in 1993. A robot arm moved automatically to move to samples and to rinse taste sensors to be attached to the tip of the arm. Analysis was processed in a simple manner using MS/DOS batch files. Ten samples of 150 ml can be measured in a measurement with 7 types of taste sensors. At that time if beer samples were measured, taste sensors needed to be directly immersed in a sample of beer for stabilizing the sensor outputs, which was called the pre-conditioning method. The SA401 was sold only in Japan, and around 10 units of them were introduced to laboratories and national institutes. Iwate Institute Research Center, one of our customers, used the SA401 for evaluation of Japanese Sake, and Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko came to see the machine measuring there as the latest technology at the time. 2. Taste Sensing System SA402 (1996 to 2000) To accept Windows95 widely used at the time, we developed Taste Sensing System SA402 which can be controlled by the computer of PC-9800 series developed by NEC. Also GUI, or Graphical User Interface, for the operation and analysis applications drastically was improved. The advantage of the abovedescribed pre-conditioning method was to enable accurateand rapid to the adsorption of taste substances on them. 15 because all the membranes showed the same characteristics due

To improve this, CPA measurement method was developed so much more information of tastes can be obtained, consequently leading to the objective taste evaluation. The SA402 was sold only in Japan and around 20 units of them were introduced.

3. Taste Sensing System SA402B (2000 to 2007) In the late 1990s, following the production end of the computers of PC-9800 series, we developed Taste Sensing System SA402B applicable to IBM PC/AT compatible computer. In addition, to respond the change in OS Windows (98, Me, 2000 and XP), several minor changes for the software in SA402B were made. Since around 2003 we have succeeded in developing taste sensors with global selectivity using innovative and unique sensor technologies. In addition, we have also developed new taste evaluation method, taste information method, which provides a clear understanding of taste qualities and intensities, without complicate multivariate analysis. In 2006 we started selling overseas, and more than 100 units were introduced to customers around the world. 16 4. Taste Sensing System TS-5000Z (2007 to present) The previous models of Taste Sensing System were designed to be used as a standalone instrument only for laboratory. The latest model TS-5000Z, one of the network systems, is designed for use both in quality control and laboratory. A management server runs on a Linux operating system with a reputation as stable operation, and includes database in it to prevent the loss, destruction, falsification, divulgation of measurement data. The database collects all of the data from some instruments via LAN, allowing some users to simultaneously have access to it using a web browser for analysis.

More than 100 units have already been introduced to laboratories in various countries, including Asia and Europe since 2007. The technologically advanced taste sensors equipped with Taste Sensing System TS-5000Z exhibit specialized ability - global selectivity -, and offer satisfactory results with high correlation to sensory scores. This system offers you comprehensive and objective taste evaluation of foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals with accuracy and reliability, and is applicable to a wide range of fields, including R&D, marketing, quality control and quality assurance. Features Evaluates not only five basic taste, but richness and sharpness which cannot be evaluated by conventional analytical instruments. Provides a maximum of 11 kind of taste information based on the types of taste sensors used, without having to perform complicated multivariate analyses. Offers the same taste quality and intensity for any sample as humans perceive. One of the network systems to connect some instruments and allow some users to analyze simultaneously. 17

Specifications

SCHEMATIC ILLUSTRATION OF THE TS-5000Z

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SYSTEM ATTRIBUTES

Name

Item

Specifications

Number of measurement samples

14 samples max. (depends on measurement procedure)

Measurement 35 to 70 ml (depends on the nature of sample volume measurement sample) Weight Dimensions (W x D x H) Instruments CPU OS (embedded) Memory Simple web server 26 kg 470 mm x 530 mm x 510 mm SH7727 SuperH Linux 64MB Thttpd Instrument application: selection of measurement procedure, starting measurement, graphic of measurement results, etc. Membrane potential measurement Artificial lipid-based membrane Drinsk, solids, drugs, etc. (in case of solids, preliminary liquefaction is required.) Single junction through ceramic Liquid junction Impedance measurement using platinum resistance thermometer (Pt1000) Pentium 4, 2.0 GHz or higher 160 GB or more 1 GB or more

Software

Response mechanism Taste sensor Sensor type Measurement object Ceramic reference electrode

Temperature Response sensor mechanism Management server CPU Hard disk Memory capacity

Hard disk Memory OS DBMS Web server

OS: 80BG, DB: 250GB 1GB Linux PostgreSQL Apache + Tomcat Management system: Creation of measurement procedure, sensorname and sample name, settings of users and their authority Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher Data search, data processing function, correction processing (5 types), statistical analysis, multiple regression analysis, principal component analysis, graphing tools (8 types), macro function, etc. Windows XP, Vista, WIN 7 Data import, editing of ref files in the database, etc. Windows XP, Vista, WIN 7

Software

Web browser required Analysis application

Functions

OS required Maintenance Functions software OS required

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MECHANISM AND WORKING :The artificial taste sensors can be designed to mimic the mammalian taste sensors. The transducer is replaced by lipid polymer membranes that act as taste buds or taste recepting organs. The human brain is replaced by the computer which back propagates the signals or tastes received. The algorithm used for data processing is based on artificial neural network, which functions according

to the learning and recognition pattern utilized by the human brain. It has been reported that a multi channel taste sensor whose transducer is composed of several kinds of lipid/polymer membranes with different characteristics can be used to detect taste. Taste information is transformed into a pattern composed of electronic signals of the lipid membrane potentials. The sensor measures taste quality since different substances produce different electric potential pattern. The lipid/polymer membrane is a soft, transparent film of 200 m thickness. Lipids used for preparing the membrane includes oleic acid, oleyl amine, decyl alcohol. Composition of lipids in the membrane depends upon the substance to be analyzed e.g. for amino acids measurements, hybrid membranes composed of dioctyl hydrogen phosphate and methyl trioctyl ammonium chloride are used. Commonly used polymers for preparing the membrane includes polyvinyl chloride and dioctyl phenyl phosphate [5,6]. Each lipid/polymer membrane is fitted on the part of a plastic tube, which has a hole, such that the inner part of the cylinder is isolated from the outside. The end of the cylinder is sealed with a stopper that holds an Ag/AgCI electrode. The tube is filled with 3 M KC1 solution. Eight detecting electrodes thus prepared were separated to two groups, and connected to two electrode holders, which could be controlled mechanically by a robotic arm. The artificial taste sensor, other wise known as Electronic Tongue has been used for the estimation of food tastes by mimicking human gustatory system [6]. It consists of an array of sensing elements, and a data processing unit as an alternative for the human tongue and the brain respectively. The sensing element consists of an array of transducers that are sensor array nonselective and non-specific like that of human taste buds.

21

The generates a pattern, which is in close proximity with the characteristics of the sample analyzed

Above figure illustrates the interaction between chemical substances to produce taste and a lipid/polymer membrane used in the taste sensor. Sodium ions producing saltiness make electrostatic interaction with the membrane, while hydrogen ions producing sourness bind to the hydrophilic part of the membrane. 22 Umami taste substances such as MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) and IMP (Inosine Mono Phosphate) interact with the membrane accompanied with weak binding. Sweet substances accept protons from the membrane to result in the decrease in membrane potential. Bitter-tasting

substances such as quinine and L-tryptophan penetrate into the hydrophobic part of lipid membrane to increase the membrane potential. In this way, the chemical nanostructures of taste substances are recognized by the lipid membrane by different mechanisms. The response electric potential is different for chemical substances showing different taste qualities in each membrane and, furthermore, is different in other membranes. Equipment The electronic tongue consists typically of four working electrodes made of the metals gold, iridium, platinum and rhodium, an Ag/AgCl reference electrode and a stainless steel counter electrode. A relay box is used, enabling the working electrodes to be connected consecutively to form four standard three-electrode configurations. The potential pulses/steps are applied by a potentiostat which is controlled by a PC. The PC is used to set and control the pulses, measure and store current responses and to operate the relay box. The detail illustration is given below: Working Electrode The working electrode is an innert material such as Gold, Platinum, Glassy Carbon, iridium and rhodium etc. In these cases, the working electrode serves as a surface on which the electrochemical takes place. It places where redox reaction occur. Surface area should very less (few mm2) to limit current flow Reference Electrode An Ag/ AgCl reference electrode is used in measuring the working electrode potential. A reference electrode should have a constant electrochemical potential as long as no current flows through it. Auxillary electrode A stainless steel counter electrode is a conductor that completes the cell circuit. It is generally inert conductor. The current flow into the solution via the working electrode leaves the solution via the counter electrode. It does not role in the redox reaction. 23 A relay box is used, enabling the working electrodes to be connected consecutively to form four standard threeelectrode configurations. The potential pulses/steps are applied by a potentiostat

which is controlled by a PC. The PC is used to set and control the pulses, measure and store current responses and to operate the relay box. The set-up is illustrated in Figure. Measurement principle and data analysis In voltammetric measurements a current is measured between the metal working electrode and the counter-electrode when a voltage pulse is applied over the working electrode and the reference electrode. A set of pulses can be put together to form a pulse train in order to extract as much information as possible from the solution. When the potential is applied, electro-active compounds that react to that potential will be reduced or oxidized and a current, that can be measured, will arise. In measurements with the voltammetric electronic tongue, data are collected over the whole pulse and not only at the end of the pulse, as in traditional electrochemistry. This is done since it has been found that extra information is also found at the beginning of the pulse (mainly conductivity and mobility). The electronic tongue creates a data matrix that is treated with MVDA, e.g. principal component analysis (PCA). PCA explains the variance in the experimental data and reduces the large data set to plots that can be easily surveyed. PCA produces a score plot that visualizes differences between the experiments. This can be used for classification or grouping of the experiments.

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ADVANTAGES OF ELECTRONIC TONGUE

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

The electronic tongue or taste sensor has the ability to pick the slightest change in chemical Its ability to be objective, precise, reproducibility, and consistent make it a valuable tool to They may help in reducing water pollution and decrease in the rate of water borne diseases It can also be used for the analysis and quantification of blood electrolytes proving to be It can be used in bio medical purpose and can find a numerous use in that sector. It can also be used in detecting alcoholic. It can be used in pharmaceutical sector for detecting the bitterness and effectiveness of the It can be used to detect toxicity of a particular liquid.

concentration where human tongues cannot. our society.

much more efficient then older techniques

medicine.

DISADVANTAGES OF ELECTRONIC TONGUE

1. 2. 3. 4. No sensors for some of the analytes. Not precise in all the cases. Sometimes insufficient selectivity. Not portable from one place to another.

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APPLICATION OF ELECTRONIC TONGUE IN DIFFERENT FIELD

General Application

I) As a qualitative tool for checking hardness of water Environmental pollution has diminished drinking water quality. Hence drinking water quality evaluation has become critical these days. Taste of mineral water is quite subtle and hence it is difficult for humans to discriminate between different brands of water. Hence taste sensors responds well to different kinds of mineral water. Even very low concentrations of taste substances can be easily discriminated between different brands of mineral water because of high sensitivity of taste sensors to ions. Koseki et al. researched the pH dependence of the taste of alkaline electrolyzed water (AEW) made by electrolyzing bottled mineral waters by sensory evaluation using biomimetic sensors and concluded that electrolysis probably improved the taste of water with a higher calcium concentration by reducing the calcium concentration; however, the effect of electrolysis on water with a calcium concentration of 10 mg/L is likely to be the result of the pH increase alone. The taste sensors are capable to distinguish between different types of mineral waters based on their high sensitivity to ions. II) Effluent water analysis Toxic substances in factory drains could be easily analyzed with taste sensors. Many pollutants such as CN , Fe3+, Cu2+ could be measured in a few minutes with the detection limits lower than regulations of drain. Nistor et al. evaluated the potential use of biosensors, not as quantitative tools for phenol analysis, but rather as screening tools indicating a certain trend, i.e. compounds present or not present, and potential correlation with sample toxicity and also studied the effect of several potentially interfering compounds on the sensor response. III) Measurement of smell Taste substances differ from odor substances in that they have low molecular weight and low volatility. Odorous ingredients can be extracted and concentrated from food samples bydistillation using evaporator. Therefore flavored water can be prepared using these odorous extracts. Smell of food samples can be evaluated by subjecting flavored water to testing with the help of taste sensors. Kataoka etc. 26 Experimented on bottled nutritive drinks and found a positive linear correlation between the intensities of sourness and bitterness determined by the human volunteers and those predicted by the taste sensor. The pungency intensity, as evidenced in gustatory sensation tests, was also

predicted by sensor output and taste sensor seems therefore to be a potentially useful tool in evaluating the palatability of bottled nutritive drinks. IV) Qualification of the beverages and food items Taste sensors can be used as comprehensive tool for maintaining the quality of liquid beverages like beer thereby avoiding batch-to-batch variation in the taste of the beverages. While the sensors could be applied to beverages, it can also be used for analysis of the taste of gelatini form or solid foods. When eating food, humans first masticate the food with their teeth and then taste it. Therefore, a mixer can be used in place of teeth for crushing the food item (whose taste is to be evaluated) before measuring their quality using taste sensors. Thus taste of food items could be easily qualified with sensitivity and selectivity with the help of taste sensors. Moreover, these sensors can be used effectively as a quality control tool for discriminating between fresh and spoiled milk and to follow the deterioration of milk quality when it is stored at different temperatures or storage conditions. Umami taste intensity of green tea has been graded meticulously by taste sensors. Sensory analyzed results showed high degree of correlation to the human gustatory sense. Pharmaceutical Application I) Selection and optimization of appropriate taste masking agents / methods Various taste masking agents could be screened for the effectiveness using taste sensors. Once appropriate taste masking agent has been identified, next step would be quantification of the masking agent. High sensitivity and selectivity of taste sensors is helpful for optimization of the concentration of the masking agent. However it has been found less useful in comparative studies between complex liquid formulations. Usually, a liquid formulation includes large portion of sugars and other sweeteners with small portion of taste enhancers, flavors and viscosity modulators. However optimization of a liquid formulation is mainly focused on taste enhancers and flavors while assessment of liquid formulations by taste sensors, electronic signals are dominated by a large amount of sugars and sweetness and flavors may not be detected . 27 These techniques may also be employed for the development of novel pharmaceutical taste masking technologies that can be conclusively optimized by taste sensors. Furthermore, these

sensors could be used to evaluate the taste-masking and sustained-release characteristics of pharmaceutical formulations. Hashimoto et al. worked on quantitative prediction of the bitterness-suppressing effect of sweeteners (sucrose or sugar alcohols) on the bitterness of famotidine (or quinine sulfate as control) solutions using an artificial taste sensor and concluded that the sugar alcohols in the tablet seem to be effective in the bitterness-suppression of famotidine from these tablets, especially in the initial phase (within 30 s) of the disintegration process. Kayumba et al. evaluated quinine sulphate pellets for flexible pediatric drug dosing using electronic tongue. Eudragit EPO was used for coating quinine sulphate pellets. Selection of the optimal formulation among pellets having different coating thickness was made by electronic tongue that evaluated bitterness intensity in function of time. II) Qualitative evaluation of bitterness of APIs Taste sensors could also be utilized for the qualitative analysis of bitter compounds. Moreover artificial taste sensors could be used for quantitative bitterness prediction and comparative bitterness examination of bitter APIs . Zheng and Keeney found that for a group of compounds, the group distance between a compound and water may indicate the degree of bitterness or taste. A larger distance between water and a compound may imply stronger taste or bitterness of the compound. Thus a relative rank order of bitterness could be obtained based on the distance data, which may further be a result of the taste sensing and technology. Prednisolone and quinine are found to be very bitter while caffeine and sucrose octaacetate (food additive) are less bitter. Based on group distance, the relative ranking of bitterness of these compounds would be in the following order: Ranitidine HCl > Prednisolone Na > Quinine HCl ~ Phenyl thiourea > Paracetamol > Sucrose octaacetate > Caffeine. Kataoka et al. investigated the use of the artificial taste sensor in the evaluation of some medicinal plants and chinese medicines with bitter and/or astringent tastes, and assessed the possible application of the sensor in the evaluation of taste and quality control of medicinal products. Else more, the berberine content in extracts of medicinal plants was evaluated by the taste sensor, and it was shown to be possible to use the taste sensor for the quality control of medicinal plants

CONCLUSION

Taste sensors can provide a technically suitable and cost effective method for screening and analyzing taste in the early stages of the development of API/formulations, thereby eliminating both safety concerns and subject bias effects. In conclusion, taste sensors may be useful in evaluating taste masking efficiency for a formulation, development of a matching placebo and for ranking the taste/bitterness of new chemical substances. Miniature sensor chips could be possible futuristic approaches for the development of widely applicable taste sensor technology in this new generation of the IT world. This is high-level function, where intelligent sensing is required. In this meaning, the taste sensor is essentially an intelligent sensor to reproduce the taste sense, which is a complex, comprehensive sense of humans. The electronic tongue can differentiate between tastes, but in a very few cases it ranked masking agents in a different order than that determined by human volunteers.

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REFERENCE

1. http://www.wikipedia.com 2. http://www.edutalks.com 3. http://www.ieee.org 4. http://google.com 5. http://freeebooks.com 6. MulticbamA Taste Sensor Using Lipid Membranes K Hayashi, M Yamanaka, K Toko, K Yamafuji in Sensors And Actuators (1990) 7. Sensor fusion for taste sensor and odor sensor. T Katsube, S Umetani, Liqin Shi, Y Hasegawa in Chemical Senses (2005) 8. Detection of suppression of bitterness by sweet substance using a multichannel taste sensor. S Takagi, K Toko, K Wada, H Yamada, K Toyoshima in Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (1998)

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