Organoleptic parameters such as color, odor, and flavor influence consumer perception of drinking water quality. This study aims to evaluate the taste of the selected bottled and tap water samples using an electronic tongue (E-tongue) instead of a sensory test. Bottled and tap water's mineral components are related to the overall preference for water taste. Contrary to the sensory test, the potentiometric E-tongue method presented in this study distinguishes taste by measuring the mineral components in water, and the data obtained can be statistically analyzed. Eleven bottled water products from various brands and one tap water from I city in Korea were evaluated. The E-tongue data were statistically analyzed using multivariate statistical tools such as hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The results show that the E-tongue method can clearly distinguish taste discrimination in drinking water differing in water quality based on the ion-related water quality parameters. The water quality parameters that affect taste discrimination were found to be total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sulfate (SO4 2-), chloride (Cl-), potassium (K+) and pH. The distance calculation of HCA was used to quantify the differences between 12 different types of drinking water. The proposed E-tongue method is a practical tool to quantitatively evaluate the differences between samples in water quality items related to the ionic components. It can be helpful in quality control of drinking water.

본 연구는 전자코와 전자혀 시스템을 이용한 15가지 국내 식품에 대한 맛과 향에 대한 기본 접근 연구를 진행하였다. 먼저 전자혀 시스템을 이용한 샘플의 맛 성분에 대해 상대적인 센서 강도를 제시하였다. 신맛으로 대표되는 SRS 센서에서는 소고기배추국이 가장 높은 9.0을 나타내었고, 미역국에서 가장 낮은 3.7을 나타내었다. 짠맛으로 대표되는 STS 센서는 오징어국에서 가장 높은 8.2를 나타내었고, 소고기배추국이 가장 낮은 1.9를 나타내었다. 감칠맛으로 확인되는 UMS 센서의 경우 소고기배추국이 가 장 높은 10.1을 보였고, 달걀국이 가장 낮은 3.3을 나타내었다. 단맛에 관여하는 SWS 센서에서는 비교적 큰차이를 보이지 않았는데, 시금치된장국이 가장 높은 7.3을 나타내 었고, 달걀국이 가장 낮은 4.6을 나타내었다. 마지막으로 쓴맛에 기여하는 BRS 센서에서는 시래기 된장국이 가장 높은 7.8을 나타내었으며, 햄김치찌개에서 가장 낮은 4.4를 보였다. 주성분 분석을 통해 5가지 맛 성분과 15가지 샘플에 대한 패턴을 확인한 결과 PC1에서 56.21%의 variance를 확인하였고, PC2에서 25.23%의 variance를 확 인할 수 있었다. 각 맛 성분의 경우 SRS 센서의 경우 PC1 과 PC2의 factor loading의 경우 -0.95와 -0.20을 나타내었고, STS 센서의 경우 PC1과 PC2의 factor loading의 값이 0.96과 0.14, UMS 센서의 경우 PC1과 PC2의 factor loading의 값이 -0.94와 0.22, SWS 센서의 경우 PC1과 PC2 의 factor loading의 값이 0.08과, 0.89, 그리고 BRS 센서의 경우 PC1과 PC2의 factor loading의 값이 0.32와 -0.60을 각각 나타내었다. 군집분석을 통해 확인된 샘플간의 유사도 는 크게 4개의 cluster를 확인할 수 있었다. 15가지 샘플에 서 확인된 향기성분은 총 25가지 성분이 확인되었고, 모든 샘플에서 상대적으로 가장 높은 함량을 보이는 향기성분 은 ethanol과 2-methylthiophene으로 확인되었다. 주성분 분석을 통해 휘발성 향기 성분과 15가지 샘플에 대한 패턴을 확인한 결과 PC1에서 28.54%의 variance를 확인하였고, PC2에서 20.80%의 variance를 확인할 수 있었다. 군집분석의 경우 크게 3개의 cluster로 분류되는 것을 확인 할 수 있었다. 이러한 맛과 향에 대한 연구를 통해서 국내 식품에 대한 표준 자료로써의 활용이 가능할 것으로 판단된다.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of gender on meat quality traits and sensory characteristics of pork loin. A total of 90 pork carcasses (180 days old, 45 barrows and 45 gilts, each gender group was consisted of fifteen 1+, 1 and 2 carcass grades) were selected and loin cuts were excised to investigate meat quality, electronic tongue measures and sensory panel test. There were significant differences in drip loss (1.66% vs 1.21%), released water (12.19% vs 10.68%) and cooking loss (23.67% vs 21.04%) between loins from barrow and gilt (p<0.05). However, no significant differences in meat color (CIE L* a* b*) and shear force were observed between gender groups (p>0.05). Umami and richness values of barrow were significantly higher than those of gilt, while barrow had significantly lower sourness value compared to gilt (p<0.05). On the sensory evaluation, barrow scored higher in flavor, juiciness and tenderness both, and as a result, barrow (5.51 points) also scored significantly higher than gilt (4.86 points). These results suggest that the umami intensity and sensory taste of barrow loin are superior to gilt loin due to its high water-holding capacity.

Bourbon is the major coffee variety grown in Rwanda. Fully washed bourbon produced in Rwanda is a nascent specialty coffee and no investigation of its quality characteristics has been reported. Thus, this study aimed at providing information about intrinsic flavor characteristics and identifying the most discriminating aroma compounds of this coffee from the major growing areas in four provinces (considered by this study as geographical sub-regions) in comparison with Arabica coffee from Ethiopia and Brazil using electronic nose and electronic tongue. Samples were discriminated and characterized by performing a principal component analysis (PCA). A discriminant factorial analysis (DFA) model was also used to predict the geographic origin of coffee samples based on their flavor characteristics. A similarity was observed between flavor characteristics of coffee samples from western and southern sub-regions as well as between northern and eastern sub-regions of Rwanda. Twenty one most discriminating aroma compounds were found but the identified and confirmed ones are: Butan-2-one, Acetic acid, n-Butanol, 2, 3- Pentanedione, Ethyl-2-methybutyrate, Dimethylsulfide, 2-Prpanol, 2-Methylfuran, Ethylacetate, Ethyl propionate and Heptanal. A DFA model using e-nose was successful in predicting the geographic origin of coffee samples but not with e-tongue. This means that aroma can reliably be used to predict the geographic origin of coffee samples than their taste characteristics. Further investigation is required to test the possibility of origin recognition based on taste characteristics.