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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Electronic Tongue Generating Continuous Recognition Patterns for Protein Analysis

Electronic Tongue Generating Continuous Recognition Patterns for Protein Analysis

Published on: September 16, 2014

Electronic tongue: An analytical gustatory tool.

Rewanthwar Swathi Latha¹, P K Lakshmi

¹Department of Pharmaceutics, G. Pulla Reddy College of Pharmacy, Osmania University, Mehdipatnam, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research

|April 4, 2012

Summary

Human taste panels for drug formulations are problematic. Electronic tongues (e-tongues) offer a reliable alternative for taste assessment, improving quality control and patient compliance with bitter-tasting medications.

Keywords:

Electrochemical concepts electronic tongue taste taste masking

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Area of Science:

Analytical Chemistry
Sensory Science
Pharmaceutical Technology

Background:

Taste is a critical organoleptic property influencing product acceptance, especially for orally administered drugs.
Many drugs possess a bitter taste, necessitating taste-masking strategies to enhance patient compliance.
Traditional taste assessment relies on human panelists, which presents significant challenges in industrial settings.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the electrochemical principles behind electronic tongue (e-tongue) instrumentation.
To discuss the performance qualification of e-tongue systems for taste analysis.
To highlight the diverse applications of e-tongues in various scientific and industrial fields.

Main Methods:

Review of electrochemical concepts applied to the design and function of multi-channel sensory systems (e-tongues).
Analysis of methodologies for qualifying the performance and reliability of e-tongue devices.
Compilation of existing literature on the application of e-tongues for taste assessment.

Main Results:

Electronic tongues provide an objective, reproducible, and efficient alternative to human taste panels.
E-tongues mitigate issues related to human panelist subjectivity, toxicity concerns, and recruitment difficulties.
The technology enables the assessment of taste for substances, including FDA-unapproved molecules, not suitable for human testing.

Conclusions:

Electronic tongues represent a significant advancement in taste assessment technology for pharmaceuticals and other products.
The adoption of e-tongues reduces reliance on human sensory panels, streamlining quality control processes.
Further development and application of e-tongues hold promise for improving drug formulation and product development.