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UF researchers create computer program that can determine what tastes good

It's a computer that can taste, essentially. The program is used to determine which variety of fruit has the best flavor.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The robots are taking over. We’ve joked about smell-a-vision, but we might be inching closer with a computer that can taste. 

The purpose of it, though, is for farmers and consumers.

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers have created a computer that can taste, in a way. The "artificial intelligence connoisseur" can break down food into their chemical compounds and tell you if they’ll taste good. 

“Taste is a very individual and particular opinion," said Dr. Marcia Resende. "To me, I like the high-sugar fruits in general.”

Resende is an assistant professor and plant breeder at the University of Florida. He was integral in creating the computer model. 

“What we wanted was to develop a method that allowed an objective scoring or identification to help plant breeders identify the most flavorful variety," he said. 

The program can "taste" by analyzing chemical compounds in fruit and determine how flavorful they will be.

Resende says usually, plant breeders would have to taste the varieties in the field or have a 50-to-100-person panel to taste. But that is all subjective and slow. 

Their computer model can screen 70 chemical compounds to determine if consumers, like you, will like it. He says they can also test hundreds of varieties a day. 

They use the super computer at UF to run the program. Resende says it takes a few hours to get the data, but if you were to try to run the program on your computer it could take a week.

“Flavor is associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. The better a variety tastes, the more people tend to go back and consume it again," Resende said. "So we hope this will increase overall fruit and vegetable consumption in the long term.”

Other than the volatile chemicals in the fruits, Resende says aroma plays a major part in rating the flavor of a fruit. 

They are using this technology right now on blueberries, strawberries, corn, tomatoes and citrus at UF’s IFAS plant breeding program.

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