Shanghai: Chinese scientists have whipped up an artificial tongue that may say, "Yep, that's spicy!" The gel-based "chili-meter" delivers a quick, exact pungency reading, sparing human taste testers from braving the heat and potentially revolutionizing quality control in the food industry.

According to Namibia Press Agency, researchers at East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) developed a novel bionic tongue by mixing milk powder, acrylic acid, and choline chloride into a soft, flexible gel. The design takes inspiration from milk's natural ability to soothe a burning palate, as milk proteins bind to capsaicin-the compound responsible for the heat in chili peppers-thereby reducing the burning sensation, as reported in a study published in ACS Sensors.

Capsaicin latches onto the gel's milk proteins, forming bulky clusters that hinder chloride and hydrogen ion traffic. This interference results in a dip in electric current, providing a reliable method for precise heat readings. The research team tested eight different chili peppers, establishing a spiciness scale from 0 (bland) to 70 (extremely spicy). The artificial tongue's rankings closely matched those made by trained human sensory panelists, demonstrating its reliability.

Researchers stated that this invention could pave the way for "a powerful platform for future applications involving movable humanoid robots and portable spicy taste monitoring devices."