Highly sensitive discrimination of taste of milk with homogenization treatment using a taste sensor

The taste of milk with homogenization treatment was discriminated using a taste sensor. The transducer is composed of seven electrodes with lipid/polymer membranes. Sensory evaluations by humans for expressing taste characteristics of “richness” showed that there were no significant differences among the milk samples, which were treated with different homogenization pressure; on the contrary, it was possible to discriminate the slight differences in quality of milk with the taste sensor. The response electric potential pattern was much different below and above 100 kg cm−2 of homogenization pressure. The electric potential decreased systematically with increasing homogenization pressure higher than 100 kg cm−2. The distribution of fat globule size had two peaks with homogenization pressure below 100 kg cm−2, but had one peak over 100 kg cm−2. Thus, the taste sensor responds to some physico-chemical changes accompanied by change in globule size and has the discrimination ability superior to humans. The present result will contribute to automated real-time control of homogenization of milk.