These electric chopsticks make food taste saltier

Japanese researchers have developed a set of charged chopsticks that make food taste saltier without adding additional spices.

The electric chopsticks prototype / Photo credit: Homei Miyashita

Developed by Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and Japanese beverage company Kirin Holdings, the product was created to help those looking to reduce salt intake.

The device sends a small electric current, which delivers sodium ions from the food to the mouth and gives the eater a stronger salty sensation. This current runs through a wristband, which must be worn while using the chopsticks. The chopsticks can enhance the flavor of salt by 1.5 times, according to Miyashita.

The average Japanese adult consumes 10 grams of salt per day, according to Statista – two times the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation. This is particularly harmful to people with high blood pressure, heart, and kidney problems, who are often required to adopt a low sodium diet.

“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,” Kirin researcher Ai Sato told Reuters.

Kirin Holdings and Miyashita are currently refining the product but are aiming to roll it out for consumers as early as next year.

Miyashita, who teaches at Meiji University’s School of Sciences and Technology had previously made waves with a lickable television screen prototype, which combined sprayable flavor canisters to mimic the taste of different foods.

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