HAVING too much salt in your diet isn't good for hypertension- but what if you just can't resist that salty taste?
No problem, according to researchers in Japan who have developed new "computerised chopsticks" which can enhance the flavour of food without actually adding seasoning.
Professor Homei Miyashita from Meiji University collaborated with beverage maker Kirin Holdings on the project, with the gadget using a weak electrical current to transmit sodium ions from the food,through the chopsticks, to the mouth where they create a "sense of saltiness".
Miyashita estimated a 50% increase in the salty taste when using the device, which links the chopsticks with a wrist-worn microcomputer (pictured).
He said it was a better alternative for cutting salt in one's diet compared to "enduring eating bland food".
Currently at the prototype level, Kirin hopes to commercialise the electronic implements sometime in 2023.
Professor Miyashita previously came to prominence when his laboratory developed a lickable TV screen which can imitate various food flavours, according to a Reuters report.
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