DO FROG鈥橲 legs really taste like chicken? A system designed to tell how food tastes just by looking at it could settle the age-old question once and for all.
So far the system, being developed by researchers at Michigan State University in East Lansing, has only been used to gauge the taste of apples. But, they say, in the future the technique could be adapted for other foods.
US Agricultural Research Service engineer Renfu Lu decided to look under the skin of an apple to determine how sweet and firm it is. He says it could mean that food is sold according to flavour rather than just looks.
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The system relies on spectroscopy. You shine light at an apple so that it penetrates a few millimetres under the surface. A camera captures the image and software measures the reflected wavelengths to create a spectral image of that apple. 鈥淲e measure the light scattering and absorption of the fruit and relate that to its chemical and physical properties,鈥� says Lu.
By analysing sample apples that testers have already vetted for sweetness, bitterness and texture, you can scan apples and sort them into their relevant categories according to how well they match up to the profiles. This is important, says Lu, because industry studies show that older people prefer softer, sweeter apples, while young people are more taken with slightly tart, firmer apples. The team is now thinking of adapting the system to 鈥渢aste鈥� other fruit such as oranges, peaches and pears.
The only way to do this now is by invasive testing, says Brian Hanley of the Leatherhead Food Research Association near London.
Meat gets its flavour, on the other hand, from compounds that are entirely different from those found in fruits. So in theory the system could be used to compare frog鈥檚 legs and chicken. 鈥淐hicken would have a unique spectral signature which could be compared to the spectral signatures of other foods,鈥� says Lu. But this would mean a lot of research to establish the signature and calibration of such a system and as yet they have no such plans to do so.