I'm sorry, this is just really quite weird.
Japanese food and beverage company Kirin Holdings and researchers at Meiji University have developed a wearable device connected to a chopstick that uses an electric current to simulate food tasting salty.
Called Taste-Adjusting Chopsticks, the device is designed to enhance the taste of low-sodium foods without diners having to add extra salt or compromise on taste. According to the brand's research, it can make food taste 1.5 times saltier. ...
The current prototype model comes in the form of a black wristband made from a soft plastic similar to that on a smartwatch with a mini-computer embedded on top.
Connected to the unit by an orange wire, the chopstick conducts an electric current to the food, which activates ions in sodium chloride and sodium glutamat. This effectively changes the perception of taste by making flavours such as salt seem stronger.
Okay, look, I'm not gonna lie... I'd try that. That sounds freaky but I'm not gonna pass it up.
It really does seem to work:
To test the device, Kirin Holdings and Meji University researchers conducted a study with 36 people who were on a low sodium diet. The participants tasted two versions of miso soup – one with 30 per cent less salt and one with normal salt levels.
After each sample was tested, the participants gave a perceived level of saltiness. They then tried the soups using the Taste-Adjusting Chopsticks.
"When tasting low-sodium food samples, the perceived saltiness was enhanced by a factor of 1.5 when the developed electrical stimulation waveform was applied to the chopstick compared to without stimulation," explained the brand.
I mean, I suppose if you're really trying to cut back on the salt—for health reasons, say—then this makes sense. Kinda.
For the rest of us, probably just a little extra table salt will do the trick.
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