New York: Researchers have created a device called “e-Taste” that digitally recreates and transmits food and drink flavours, allowing them to be shared remotely.
The technology, published in Science Advances, could revolutionize virtual and augmented reality, immersive gaming, online shopping, remote education, weight management, and sensory testing. It may also be useful in biomedical research and virtual food experiences.
How it works
The e-Taste system consists of two main components;
- An “electronic tongue” (sensing platform) – This captures the concentration of five key taste chemicals in a liquidized food or drink sample and transmits the data wirelessly.
- A flavor delivery system – Using small electromagnetic pumps, it releases precise amounts of edible taste compounds through a gel-based mechanism into a user’s mouth, targeting specific regions of the tongue.
The e-Taste system operates by replicating five fundamental taste sensations using specific chemicals: glucose for sweetness, citric acid for sourness, sodium chloride for saltiness, magnesium chloride for bitterness, and glutamate for umami (savoury taste). These compounds are carefully mixed and delivered to targeted areas of the tongue to simulate real food flavours.
However, the technology is still evolving, and researchers have yet to successfully replicate sensations like spiciness or fattiness, which remain a challenge for digital taste transmission.
“People will get something like a straw in their mouth, and thus placing it to specific locations when needed,” said Yizhen Jia, a co-author of the study from Ohio State University.
Accuracy and Testing
- In trials, 10 volunteers identified different sour intensities with 70% accuracy.
- Six volunteers sampled combinations of flavours meant to represent foods like lemonade, cake, fried egg, coffee, and fish soup. Their accuracy in identifying the recreated flavours was nearly 87%.
Professor Marianna Obrist from University College London, who was not involved in the study, welcomed the research, stating that taste stimulation is a challenging area, but the integration of multiple taste sensations could enrich digital experiences.
While still in development, e-Taste represents a significant step toward digitizing taste for applications in entertainment, healthcare, and scientific research.
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