'world first' electric chopsticks simulate taste of salt
from the same university that is developing a lickable television, scientists have created an electronic chopstick device that enhances the saltiness of low-sodium foods.
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the average person in tokyo eats roughly double the amount of salt recommended by the world health organization. getty
it can be difficult to stick to a diet, whether it be cutting out carbs, going vegetarian, or lowering salt intake. but scientists from meiji university in tokyo may have found a way.
together with japanese food company kirin, researchers have developed the electric chopsticks that simulate saltiness by transmitting ions from food through the stick itself into the mouth.
“”electric taste sensation” uses very weak electricity — not enough to affect the human body — to adjust the function of ions such as sodium chloride and sodium glutamate, to change the perception of taste by making food seem to taste stronger or weaker,” kirin said in a statement.
the chopsticks work in tandem with a device worn on the wrist, which contains a small computer to help with the ion transfer process.
“in clinical trials with people who follow a low-sodium diet, the use of the chopstick device enhanced the salty taste perceived when eating low-sodium foods by about 1.5 times,” kirin writes. “the result of salty taste enhancement via electrical stimulation is a world first.”
the product is still a prototype, but researchers are hopeful that it will be available to the public as early as next year. researchers expect the production model will cost 100,000 yen, or the equivalent of about $975 cad.
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‘electric taste sensation’ could be an important health tool
the chopsticks could prove to be an important health tool in its home country, where the average person eats roughly double the amount of salt recommended by the world health organization each day, according to the guardian. who members pledged to cut salt consumption by 30 per cent in 2013, with the aim of saving an estimated 2.5 million lives each year.
conditions such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, and even cancer are possible from a salt-filled diet, according to harvard school of public health.
“to prevent these diseases, we need to reduce the amount of salt we take,” kirin researcher ai sato told reuters. “if we try to avoid taking less salt in a conventional way, we would need to endure the pain of cutting our favourite food from our diet, or endure eating bland food.”
most people have issues with the amount of excess sodium consumed, harvard writes. this results in the body having to store water to further dilute the sodium to ease strain on the kidneys. over time, that build-up of stress on the body can result in serious conditions and increase blood pressure. there is also evidence that too much salt can have adverse health effects without raising blood pressure as well, which can be dangerous as there are no warning signs.
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in canada, as many as six million people, or about 19 per cent of adults, have high blood pressure — or hypertension — according to the heart and stroke foundation. globally, hypertension is responsible for 9.4 million deaths annually, reports hypertension in canada. the organization says high dietary sodium intake is the main lifestyle factor of high blood pressure, followed by obesity, low potassium intake, low exercise, and high alcohol consumption.
fun fact: meiji professor homei miyashita is no stranger to food-tech. miyashita is also developing a lickable television that lets viewers — or tasters — interact with foods on screen thanks to 10 flavour canisters.
chris arnold is a toronto-based writer.
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