Electronic Tongues for Inedible Media

Abstract

“Electronic tongues”, “taste sensors”, and similar devices (further named as “multisensor systems”, or MSS) have been studied and applied mostly for the analysis of edible analytes. This is not surprising, since the MSS development was sometimes inspired by the mainstream idea that they could substitute human gustatory tests. However, the basic principle behind multisensor systems—a combination of an array of cross-sensitive chemical sensors for liquid analysis and a machine learning engine for multivariate data processing—does not imply any limitations on the application of such systems for the analysis of inedible media. This review deals with the numerous MSS applications for the analysis of inedible analytes, among other things, for agricultural and medical purposes.

E-Tongues/Noses Based on Conducting Polymers and Composite Materials: Expanding the Possibilities in Complex Analytical Sensing

“…Electronic tongues have been successfully applied in the analysis of a wide range of samples. Their multiple applications in different ambits employing potentiometric and/or voltammetric sensor arrays were overviewed by many researchers [ 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 ].…”

Multisensor Systems and Arrays for Medical Applications Employing Naturally-Occurring Compounds and Materials

“…Impedimetric quantification of C-reactive protein and interleukin 6 (IL6) by a novel portable dipstick-type immunosensor, based on molybdenum electrodes on nanoporous polyamide substrate, was reported in [ 112 ]; both proteins were detected in human urine samples with a LOD of 1 pg/mL. The ionic composition of urine can be useful for evaluating a patient’s general condition and diagnosing certain metabolic diseases [ 113 ]. Recently, cost-effective potentiometric e-tongues were applied for evaluation of ionic composition of patients’ urine samples; their potential applicability for express diagnosis of urolithiasis [ 114 ], and indirect assessment of the prostate cancer [ 115 ] was demonstrated.…”

“…The lack of the reports on the MSAs or e-tongues for the analysis in vitro can, possibly, be explained by the complexity of proper sampling technique, which makes the analytical platforms for analysis in situ more advantageous in this regard. Although, we believe that certain existing electrochemical MSAs or e-tongues, which were briefly discussed by Kirsanov et al in [ 113 ], might be suitable for the analysis of the ionic composition of sweat.…”

Electronic Nose, Tongue and Eye: Their Usefulness for the Food Industry

“…The reference electrode is immersed in an electrolyte solution, and the reference sensor voltage is constant. Regarding the voltage of the working electrode, it depends on the concentration of the analyte in the solution phase (56). The most commonly used membranes for potentiometric chemical sensors are the glass membrane, the solid-state crystalline membrane, the liquid membrane, and the polymer membrane (for example, polyvinyl chloride) (57).…”