An automated regional taste-testing system

A fully programmable and portable automated regional taste-testing system is described. This system utilizes a glass stimulator held to the surface of the tongue by a mild vacuum. Temporally and spatially discrete trains of stimuli, delivered from a bank of glass reservoirs through microprocessor-controlled Teflon solenoid valves and both glass and Tygon tubing, can be delivered to the lingual surface at millisecond durations. Rinses between stimuli are similarly programmed. The stimulus delivery is monitored at the surface of the tongue, using a capacitance sensor to alert the subject of stimulus delivery. An example of the application of this system is shown, in which we demonstrate that the detection threshold for NaCl is inversely related to stimulus duration by a power function.