The 'lab-on-a-chip' consists of a tough, glass-like container with 16 to 36 tiny printed dye spots, each the diametre of a pencil lead.

To the scientists' delight, the sensor identified 14 different natural and artificial sweeteners, including sucrose (table sugar), xylitol (used in sugarless chewing gum), sorbitol, aspartame, and saccharin with 100 percent accuracy in 80 different trials, said an UI-UC release.

Researchers have tried for years to develop 'electronic tongues' or 'electronic noses' that rival or even surpass the sensitivity of the human tongue and nose.

But these devices can generally have difficulty distinguishing one chemical flavour from another, particularly in a complex mixture. Those drawbacks limited their practical applications.

Their study was presented at the American Chemical Society's 238th National Meeting in Washington D.C.