New 'Electronic Tongue' System Assesses the Antioxidant Power of Juices and Fruit

According to the UPV researchers, in recent years, electronic tongues have become an excellent alternative to traditional methods of analysis for controlling the quality of food products. "Electronic tongues, using electrochemical techniques, help us to sort food samples in situ and to quantify their physicochemical parameters, in a fast and economical way," said Ramón Martínez Máñez, a researcher at the UPV IDM.

The electronic tongue system designed by UPV researchers is based on techniques of voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy, and consists of a PC application and some electronic measuring equipment. In addition, the software that they have developed allows not only to perform tests but to store the data corresponding to the measurements obtained as well.

So far, UPV experts have tested the usefulness of this system in different antioxidant solutions -specifically, citric acid, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and malic acid, and binary mixtures of those-, and the results have been highly satisfactory.

"What we do is, we apply electrical signals to the solution and we measure its response. Thus we can quantify the antioxidant concentration in that solution," said Miguel Alcañiz, IDM researcher at the Universitat Politècnica de València.

Now, researchers at the IDM and the Group of CUINA Politècnica de València are working on the study of the degradation of vitamin C in juices. "We're starting to work very soon in the direct application of the electronic tongue to the evaluation of orange juice," said José Manuel Barat, a researcher at the UPV's CUINA group.

UPV researchers have also studied the application at the laboratory of this electronic tongue system to the detection of glyphosate, a weedkiller which is widely used in agriculture, and to monitoring water quality in sewage treatment plants.

This system has been presented within the framework of the V Workshop on Sensors and Molecular Recognition, organized by IDM, which took place recently at the UPV's School of Agricultural Engineering and Environment.
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Nokia, Microsoft in smartphone partnership

Nokia and Microsoft have joined hands to take on Google and Apple in the fast-growing smartphone market as the Finnish cellphone maker attempts to regain its leading position in the sector.

Nokia said on Friday it would use Windows Phone as the software platform for its smartphones as part of new chief executive Stephen Elop's overhaul of the world's biggest cellphone maker.

Microsoft's Windows Phone platform is widely recognised by industry experts as a leading edge technology but has not yet gained success among consumers.

"This is a partnership born out of both parties' fear of marginalisation at the hands of Apple and Google but there is no silver bullet," said analyst Geoff Blaber from CCS Insight.

Nokia has rapidly lost share in the higher-margin smartphone market to the likes of Apple's iPhone, and products based on Google's Android platform claimed the top spot from the company last quarter.

"This is a very frank admission that Nokia's platform strategy has failed and underlines the seriousness of Nokia's position. Such a move would have been unthinkable just 12 months ago," Blaber added.

In a bid to stem the losses, Chairman Jorma Ollila brought in Elop from Microsoft last September. The 47-year-old is the first non-Finn to head the company.

Nokia said 2011 and 2012 would be transition years for the company as it built up the partnership with Microsoft.

Nokia said in a statement it would stick with its current management team, with only one senior executive to leave. There had been speculation of a wider cull at the company.
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