New E-tongue Test Capability at Medallion Labs

What Does An E-Tongue Do?

Traditionally, evaluating flavor has been a subjective area within food testing. Now it is becoming more objective. With our new e-tongue testing, Medallion Labs can measure a food product’s flavor characteristics more completely and thoroughly than other testing options.

The e-tongue test provides another tool for product benchmarking and understanding taste perceptions that places it at the forefront of sensory analysis. In some ways, it has surpassed human taste panels and physical food and liquids testing as it is more repeatable.

This emerging technology converts food taste molecular information into visual taste information. Once converted, it can be easily measured by mathematical optimizations.

Is the Electronic tongue the First Test for Flavor Characterization?

The e-tongue is not Medallion Lab’s first or only test for flavor characterization. We also offer testing options that use DH-GC/MS to identify specific chemical compounds of interest.

The e-tongue test is our newest way of evaluating flavor characteristics. It categorizes selective compounds based on human tongue sensory and biological membrane permeability. The e-tongue test automatically compares flavors with greater taste or less taste to a control sample.

What Food Products Can Use the E-tongue test?

Medallion Labs has utilized the electronic tongue test successfully for all varieties of food products. The options include beverages, ingredients, solids, and even packaging. It’s likely your food product could utilize e-tongue testing as well. If you have questions about using e-tongue testing with your product, please contact us.

Why Should You Use the E-Tongue for Taste Evaluations?

Taste profiles are critical for food product formulation, product comparison, and food marketing. They are a primary factor that drives consumer buying habits, so understanding your product’s taste profile is important. The e-tongue can accurately characterize taste differences between food formulations in eight distinct categories:

• Bitterness
• Bitterness Aftertaste
• Astringency
• Astringency Aftertaste
• Unami
• Richness
• Sourness
• Saltiness

Other categories are currently being developed to expand the tongue’s testing capabilities. Medallion Labs has spent two years refining these eight categories to ensure it is a well-established, repeatable method for our customers.

How E-tongue Testing Works

As mentioned, e-tongue testing is a comparative test. It shows a sample’s relationship to a control. Taste sensors send their information to a pattern recognition system. The result is the detection of the tastes that compose the human palate.

Medallion Labs Experts Make Food Testing Successful

The e-tongue provides new opportunities for repeatable, comparative flavor characteristic testing. It’s a powerful tool you can use to support decisions involving:

• Flavor characteristics/characterization
• Product formulation
• Product ingredients
• Competitive analysis/product comparison
• Food manufacturing
• Food marketing
• Taste evaluation/taste assessment
• Flavor compounds
• Recipe/product consistency

When considering Medallion Labs for e-tongue testing or other lab services, we suggest referring to our tech data sheets and online order form for the latest details. Our breadth of testing options helps you maximize your testing budget by providing the results you seek in a cost-efficient manner.

Medallion Labs is ready to use our testing options, expertise, and skills for your testing needs. Connect with us or call 1-800-245-5615 to discuss your food products’ criteria and testing needs.