Artificial tongue could taste whisky to make sure it isn't counterfeit

[Judi Lynn]

TECHNOLOGY 6 August 2019

An artificial tongue can taste subtle differences between drams of whisky and could one day help tackle the counterfeit alcohol trade.

The technology is capable of picking up on the differences between the same brand aged in different barrels, with more than 99 per cent accuracy and can tell the difference between those aged for 12, 15 and 18 years.

“We call this an artificial tongue because it acts similarly to a human tongue – like us, it can’t identify the individual chemicals which make coffee taste different to apple juice but it can easily tell the difference between these complex chemical mixtures,” says Alasdair Clark at the University of Glasgow.

The tongue has two different types of metal tastebuds, which provide more information about each sample and allows a faster and more accurate response. Once liquid is poured over the metals, measuring how they absorb light reveals some of its properties.

More:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2212549-artificial-tongue-could-taste-whisky-to-make-sure-it-isnt-counterfeit/

[SCantiGOP]

1. Whiskey tasting

Was one of the last jobs I thought would be automated.