Evaluation of milk and dairy products by electronic tongue

The electronic tongue uses a sensor array with partially overlapping selectivity to get information on quality parameters such as sample condition, the state of a process, or expected human perception (Winquist et al., 2004). Sensors forming the array should exhibit various selectivity patterns to minimize correlation between sensor responses, which provides more information about the sample (Ciosek et al., 2006). The logic behind the application of low-selectivity sensors is based on an analogy to biological organization of the olfactory and taste systems in mammals. Millions of nonspecific olfactory receptors are located in the nose and tongue which respond to various substances in gas or liquid form. The signal is transmitted to the brain where olfactory neurons process the signal and the image of the sensed substance is formed (Vlasov et al., 2005). As the electronic tongue classifies particular properties in complex systems, the results are not Mirjana Hruškar*, Nikola Major, Marina Krpan, Ines Panjkota Krbavčić, Goran Šarić, Ksenija Marković, Nada Vahčić