http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2003-08-01-3...
Because taste combines the feel of food in the mouth with chemical and even auditory cues, it has been very difficult to simulate.
Before the simulation of a food can be accomplished, Iwata and his team measure and record various phenomena that are associated with chewing it.
Parameters such as the force required to bite through a piece of food are handled by placing a thin-film sensor in a subject's mouth.
Also, biological sensors made of lipid and polymer membranes are used to record the major chemical constituents contributing to the taste of food.
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