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by: lucyevans44
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"Electronic tongues" have been made for those people who have trouble telling the difference between tastes in wine.

This technology is quite new but researchers are confident that this step is bringing them ever closer to having the dependability of the human togue. The e-tongue is built from a single chip multi-sensor comprised of mini -synthetic membranes. Each unit has different sensitivity levels enabling it to detect differences in grape vintages. Not only can the device tell apart wines such as Chardonnay, Malvasia and Macabeu, it can also differentiate between samples of differing vintages of the same wine. The year of 2005 and 2004.. It is the hope of researchers that by allowing the electronic tongue to recognize a wider range of chemical components it will be able to distinguish altered quality of wine or instances of fraud.

The device can tell the difference between sweet, salty, bitter, acidic and umami tastes and functions like the human tongue. (small dish). The scientists used the device to test multiple samples of grape juice from 2004 and 2005. Seven months later tests were conducted again on 4 types of grapes from 2 different years, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry journal The Analyst published study. Samples of wine can be tested on site with this device due to its ease of use and portability. This device is quick, inexpensive and convenient to use.

Scientists are inventing new methods, such as mechanical "tongues" and "noses", to effectively differentiate between molecules as a way to make the win tasting industry more objective. This new technology will be a valuable aid in assisting certain security efforts, such as detecting explosive devices, along with helping the wine industries to make a more consistent description of their wines.
As the newly rich are willing to spend quite a bit of money for high end wines such as Petrus, Le Pin and Lafite, wine counterfeiting has grown into a big business. It is easy to make a fake label that is not easy to notice. The fine-wine industry is handling these counterfeit wines by using special ways including inks, bottles, holograms and bar codes to protect defrauding themselves and the customers.

The Australian wine company, hardy, uses genetic vine material in neck seals to keep track of its more precious bottlings while the temperature-tracking tags are a recent innovation. The electronic wine taster can be useful for discerning different grape varieties, but whether it can detect the subtle differences between wines, the way a human can, is another matter. And would you really want to spend a lot on an exquisite wine to have it consumed by a robot?

About the Author

The author is interested in wine technology and italian wine.

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