Discriminant Analysis of Marketed Liquor by a Multi-channel Taste Evaluation System

As a device for taste sensation, an 8-channel taste evaluation system was prepared and applied for discriminant analysis of marketed liquor. The biomimetic polymer membranes for the system were prepared through a casting procedure by employing polyvinyl chloride, bis (2-ethylhexyl)sebacate as plasticizer and electroactive materials such as valinomycin in the ratio of 33:66:1, and were separately attached over the sensitive area of ion-selective electrodes to construct the corresponding taste sensor array. The sensor array in conjunction with a double junction reference electrode was connected to a high-input impedance amplifier and the amplified sensor signals were interfaced to a personal computer via an A/D converter. When the signal data from the sensor array for 3 groups of marketed liquor like Maesilju, Soju and beer were analyzed by principal component analysis after normalization, it was observed that the 1st, 2nd and 3rd principal component were responsible for most of the total data variance, and the analyzed liquor samples were discriminated well in 2 dimensional principal component planes composed of the 1st-2nd and the 1st-3rd principal component.