Abstract
Electronic tongue systems are traditionally used to analyse: food products, water samples and taste masking technologies for pharmaceuticals. In principle, their applications are almost limitless, as they are able to almost completely reduce the impact of interferents and can be applied to distinguish samples of extreme complexity as for example broths from different stages of fermentation. Nevertheless, their applications outside the three principal sample types are, in comparison, rather scarce. In this review, we would like to take a closer look on what are real capabilities of electronic tongue systems, what can be achieved using mixed sensor arrays and by introduction of biosensors or molecularly imprinted polymers in the matrix. We will discuss future directions both in the sense of applications as well as system development in the ever-growing trend of low cost analysis.
Highlights
The widely accepted definition of electronic tongue systems states:“The electronic tongue is an analytical instrument comprising an array of nonspecific, low-selective, chemical sensors with high stability and cross-sensitivity to different species in solution and an appropriate method of PARC and/or multivariate calibration for data processing” [1].Their working principle, presented schematically on Figure 1 was inspired by biological recognition in which information is gathered with the use of arrays of non-specific sensors in the nose or tongue and the data is subsequently processed in the brain
That better classification could be obtained by the direct plotting of sensor response from 3 out of 4 sensors composing the matrix, than by applying Principal
Biosensors and chemical sensors based on advanced recognition methods, so-called molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) can be applied in the sensor matrix using the same transduction properties imprinted polymers (MIP) can be applied in the sensor matrix using the same transduction properties as in case of traditional chemosensors
Summary
“The electronic tongue is an analytical instrument comprising an array of nonspecific, low-selective, chemical sensors with high stability and cross-sensitivity to different species in solution and an appropriate method of PARC and/or multivariate calibration for data processing” [1]. Complex data patterns provided by gustatory and olfactory receptors different analytes inofthe solution [1] This trait is observed in biological systems which are are comprised multiple, individual cross-sensitive responses [13]. Electronic tongue systems are built from few to dozens of sensors of a single type, the most common being potentiometric and voltammetric [18] Even though both are electrochemical, voltammetry on the contrary to potentiometry involves the flow of a current between the electrodes and in most cases results in more complex data. Last but not least let us quote a sentence which should always be remembered when dealing with populous data: “If you torture your data long enough, they will tell you whatever you want to hear” [32]
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