Single Response Electroplated Metal Microwires-Based Microfluidic Electronic Tongue for Taste Discrimination

We demonstrate a microfluidic electronic tongue (MET) by analy- zing a single equivalent admittance spectrum of stainless-steel microwires electroplated with copper, nickel, iron, and zinc connected in parallel. These microwires are integrated into a microfluidic chip made of polydimethylsiloxane. The admittance response from the MET was processed using principal component analysis, where four primary taste samples are clustered according to their taste, showing strong distinction with the Silhouette coefficient above 0.71. The biplot explains that analyte–electrode interactions occurring over distinct time scales contribute to taste discrimination. Taste discriminability of MET is poor if fitted equivalent electric circuit data is utilized. The MET, with a single response electroplated metal wires sensor array, may pave the way for a cost efficient and simpler taste and quality assessment in various commercial applications.