Subject: Digest for the period 10/5/2003 - 10/6/2003 Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2003 01:01:48 -0400 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. No Palate fatigue here! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bob Sheck Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2003 20:32:43 -0400 Subject: No Palate fatigue here! Thought you'd all be interested in this piece- http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2003/oct/upfront_031006.html Researchers are developing artificial tongues that eventually could detect aromas of cassis and smoky oak in a glass of cabernet. The device uses ultrathin films of conducting polymers as sensing units, which mimic the human taste buds for salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and umami (glutamate, the "fifth taste"). "When immersed in a test solution, each [sensing] unit provides a distinct electrical signal. The electrical response is a fingerprint of the analyzed substance," explains Luiz Mattoso of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp. The device has successfully identified different types of coffee, orange juices, and milk without complex analyses.1,2 In some tests, the device outperformed most humans, discriminating between brands of mineral water or between cabernets from the same winery but from different vintages. And, unlike the human tongue, no loss of sensitivity occurs after long exposure to a given taste, says Mattoso. At the University of Texas, John McDevitt is in the process of assembling a repertoire of artificial taste buds; he hopes to identify toxic metals in drinking water and food contaminants such as aflatoxin. "Going beyond the human threshold is essential for many practical applications," he says. Competition with humans is not an issue, says Mattoso. His device is intended to perform such highly unpalatable tasks as ferreting the bitter taste out of medicine without exposing tasters to offensive substances. --Silvia Sanides References 1. A. Riul Jr. et al., "Nano-assembled films for taste sensor application," Artif Organs, 27:469-72, May 2003. 2. A. Riul Jr. et al., "An artificial taste sensor based on conducting polymers," Biosens Bioelectron, 18:1365-9, October 2003. Bob Sheck // DEA - Down East Alers - Greenville, NC bobsheck`at`earthlink.net http://home.earthlink.net/~bobsheck/ http://home.earthlink.net/~bobsheck/DEA/ ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** Subject: Digest for the period 10/5/2003 - 10/6/2003 Date: Mon, 06 Oct 2003 01:01:48 -0400 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. No Palate fatigue here! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bob Sheck Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2003 20:32:43 -0400 Subject: No Palate fatigue here! Thought you'd all be interested in this piece- http://www.the-scientist.com/yr2003/oct/upfront_031006.html Researchers are developing artificial tongues that eventually could detect aromas of cassis and smoky oak in a glass of cabernet. The device uses ultrathin films of conducting polymers as sensing units, which mimic the human taste buds for salty, sour, bitter, sweet, and umami (glutamate, the "fifth taste"). "When immersed in a test solution, each [sensing] unit provides a distinct electrical signal. The electrical response is a fingerprint of the analyzed substance," explains Luiz Mattoso of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp. The device has successfully identified different types of coffee, orange juices, and milk without complex analyses.1,2 In some tests, the device outperformed most humans, discriminating between brands of mineral water or between cabernets from the same winery but from different vintages. And, unlike the human tongue, no loss of sensitivity occurs after long exposure to a given taste, says Mattoso. At the University of Texas, John McDevitt is in the process of assembling a repertoire of artificial taste buds; he hopes to identify toxic metals in drinking water and food contaminants such as aflatoxin. "Going beyond the human threshold is essential for many practical applications," he says. Competition with humans is not an issue, says Mattoso. His device is intended to perform such highly unpalatable tasks as ferreting the bitter taste out of medicine without exposing tasters to offensive substances. --Silvia Sanides References 1. A. Riul Jr. et al., "Nano-assembled films for taste sensor application," Artif Organs, 27:469-72, May 2003. 2. A. Riul Jr. et al., "An artificial taste sensor based on conducting polymers," Biosens Bioelectron, 18:1365-9, October 2003. Bob Sheck // DEA - Down East Alers - Greenville, NC bobsheck`at`earthlink.net http://home.earthlink.net/~bobsheck/ http://home.earthlink.net/~bobsheck/DEA/ ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * **********************************************************************