Forget burning taste buds 🔥 – Chinese researchers have cooked up a high-tech solution to measure chili heat! Scientists at East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) just unveiled a gel-based 'artificial tongue' that could revolutionize how we gauge spiciness in foods.
Milk Magic Meets Science
Inspired by milk’s natural ability to cool fiery mouths, the team mixed milk powder with acrylic acid and choline chloride to create a flexible gel. When capsaicin (the compound that makes chilies hot) binds to the gel’s milk proteins, it triggers electrical changes that translate to precise spice readings ⚡.
Bye-Bye, Taste-Test Tears
The device ranked eight chili varieties on a 0-70 scale, matching human testers’ results nearly perfectly. No more teary-eyed volunteers needed for quality control! 🥵→😎
Spicy Future Tech
This innovation could lead to portable spice sensors or even help robots 'taste' heat. Food producers and hot sauce addicts, rejoice – your Scoville scale just got a 21st-century upgrade! 🚀
