Digital Synthesizer may Help Produce Taste for your Palate

Of course it's fun to look at pictures of food online. (Instagram, anyone?) But have we ever thought about the possibility that we could actually taste what we're looking at without actually eating?

Researchers at the National University of Singapore looked at a taste synthesizer that could  help users experience food they're desiring online.

According to lead study author Nimesha Ranasinghe of the university, he is hoping to produce four well-known major taste components-such as salty, sweet, sour and bitter-that can all be experienced through a silver electrode that touches the tip of the tongue.

The way it works, according to New Scientists, is that taste receptors are fooled into thinking they're tasting actual food via an alternating current that changes temperature through the semiconductor elements.

"We have found noninvasive electrical and thermal stimulation of the tip of the tongue successfully generates the primary taste sensations," Ranasinghe said, via the news organization. "The device is a little clunky at the moment, but redesigning it will mean it can be in contact with the tongue when the user's mouth is almost closed."

Ranasinghe points out, via the news organization, that this could potentially provide medical assistance for those with diabetic conditions.

"People with diabetes might be able to use the taste synthesizer to stimulate sweet sensations without harming their actual blood sugar levels," he added. "Cancer patients could use it to improve or regenerate a diminished sense of taste during chemotherapy."

However, at this time, it's still early days for the synthesizer. Until then, we might just have to eat our favorite foods while browsing the Internet in order to experience taste.