A voltammetric e-tongue tool for the emulation of the sensorial analysis and the discrimination of vegetal milks

Abstract The relevance of plant-based food alternatives to dairy products, such as vegetable milks, has been growing in recent decades, and the development of systems capable of classifying and predicting the sensorial profile of such products is interesting. In this context, a methodology to perform the sensorial analysis of vegetable milks (oat, soya, rice, almond and tiger nut), based on 12 parameters, was validated. An electronic tongue based on the combination of eight metals with pulse voltammetry was also tested. The current intensity profiles are characteristic for each non-dairy milk type. Data were processed with qualitative (PCA, dendrogram) and quantitative (PLS) tools. The PCA statistical analysis showed that when using three first principal components, which covered 77% of variance, the eight samples can be differentiated, and the preparation method (artisanal milks or commercial) is one of the main differentiation factors, together with raw material type. The PLS statistical analysis allowed models to be created to predict all 12 sensorial parameters. The goodness of the predictions depends on the parameter being particularly accurate for the body, the granularity in the wall of glass and homogeneity of colour. The results strongly suggest the potential feasibility of using electronic tongues as systems for easy, rapid and effective sensorial assessments of vegetable milks.

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