A New Gadget Can Taste-Test Spice Levels Before You Torch Your Mouth

If you’ve ever taken a bite of something that claimed to be “mild” only to instantly regret every life choice — good news! 

Scientists in China have invented an artificial tongue that can check how spicy food is before you commit.

This tiny, soft gel square is placed on your tongue to “pre-taste” your food. 

Think of it as a brave friend who takes the first bite for you.

The idea was inspired by that age-old trick: milk helps with spicy food. 

RELATED: People Who Like Spicy Food Are More Likely To Think They're Hot

Milk contains casein, a protein that calms the burn from hot peppers. 

So researchers mixed casein with a special gel that reacts to spicy compounds (like the heat-packing capsaicin found in peppers). 

When the gel detects spice, its electrical current changes — and that’s how it measures the heat level.

To test it out, the team tried eight different peppers and eight spicy foods — hot sauces included. 

Within 10 seconds, the “tongue” could tell just how fiery things were, from barely a tingle to “why did I do this to myself?”

Bonus: it didn’t just measure pepper heat — it also reacted to strong flavours like ginger, black pepper, garlic, onion, and horseradish. 

And when actual humans rated the same foods, the results matched up almost perfectly.

So one day soon, we might all have a tiny gel tester to warn us when “medium” actually means “grab the milk, girl.”