Scientists from Seoul National University have developed a graphene-enhanced bio-electric tongue that can successfully identify two taste sensations, sweet and savory. The tongue is reportedly 10-thousand times more effective in sensing "sweet" flavors compared to the human tongue, which means it can potentially be used to develop new food products.
To make the tongue, the researchers first extracted DNA information from protein-based taste-receptors that specifically sense sweet and savory flavors. This DNA information is inserted to a separate cell, which is put on top of a surface of graphene. The graphene detects changes in the current, and produces an electric signal which shows that a taste has been received.
This sort of detector has been attempted in the past, but experts say the this recent tongue is a huge improvement from past attempts.
