(Web Desk) - Scientists have created the first artificial tongue that can sense and identify flavors entirely in liquid environments — mimicking how human taste buds work. The achievement, described July 15 in the journal PNAS, could lead to automated systems for food safety and early detection of diseases via chemical analysis, the researchers say. The technology could also be integrated into lab equipment for chemical analysis of liquid samples. The researchers also see it as a step toward "neuromorphic computing" — AI systems that mimic the brain’s learning process.

The artificial tongue is made from graphene oxide membranes, ultra-thin sheets of carbon that act as molecular filters for ionic versions of tastes. Instead of separating large particles, these membranes slow the movement of ions, letting the device identify and remember tastes placed into the device. In the new study, the device identified four basic tastes — sweet, sour, salty and bitter — with 72.5% to 87.5% accuracy, and with 96% accuracy for drinks with multiple flavor profiles like coffee and Coca-Cola. The higher accuracy is due to the electrical makeup of complex drink mixtures, which makes them easier for the system to identify.

According to the study, this is the first time researchers have successfully combined sensing and information processing in a single wet system.

"This discovery gives us a blueprint for building new bio-inspired ionic devices," Yong Yan, a professor of chemistry at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in China and co-author of the study, told Live Science in an email. "Our devices can work in liquid and can sense their environment and process information — just like our nervous system does."