Broccoli That Tastes Like Chocolate?

It started out as a fun engineering experiment, but UK researchers may have stumbled on something that could have a profound social impact – an electronic “spoon” that makes food taste sweeter.

Sour and salty taste receptors on the tongue work by detecting the reaction between saliva and the acidity of hydrogen or sodium. However, the same reaction can be simulated by stimulating the tongue with thermal and electrical signals that “trick” it into tasting unappetizing or bland foods as treats. The intensity of the simulated taste may also be varied. For example, for many people, sweetness is proportional to the temperature of the food. So, to increase the sweet sensation, the device increases the temperature of the tongue from about 77 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (25 to 40 degrees Celsius).

In its prototype form, the Taste Buddy consists of a 2 centimeter (less than one inch) wide tab that sits on the tongue, but the hope is to one day make it small enough to fit into cutlery, drink cans and cups. Although it’s currently able to simulate only sweet and salty tastes, future versions could cover a wide range of flavors. The developers envision even being able to program the device via Bluetooth so that users can choose the levels that suit their senses of taste, thereby helping individuals eat healthier without missing out on the flavors they love.