Kirin Holdings sells Electric Salt Spoon that raises perceived saltiness of low-sodium food about 1.5 times
Japan's Kirin Holdings sells a spoon that passes electric current to make low-sodium food taste saltier. It costs 24,750 yen and is sold only within Japan.
Kirin Holdings, a Japanese beverage, food and health science conglomerate based in Tokyo, sells the Electric Salt Spoon, a utensil that uses electric current to enhance the salty taste and umami of low-sodium food, according to larazon.es larazon.es
larazon.eslarazon.esOpen source ↗. The company entered this health science business a couple of years ago with a limited offer of 200 units. A year later it released an updated version of the spoon together with a cup that uses the same technology.
The official website states that the device is not a medical device and that it is intended for use within Japan, so the company does not ship internationally.
How the electric spoon works
According to the material, the device carries technology that raises the perceived saltiness of low-sodium food by approximately 1.5 times. The technology was developed in joint research with the laboratory of Dr. Homei Miyashita at Meiji University, Department of Frontier Media Science, School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences.
The TikTok creator @classybougiebudget showed the spoon in a video of about two minutes. It comes in two pieces, a detachable handle and the spoon itself, with batteries included. The current passes through the metal part of the spoon and can be set to three power levels, depending on the result wanted larazon.es
larazon.eslarazon.esOpen source ↗. He tried it on a soup he had made that lacked salt, switched on the minimum power, took a sip and said the device was worth its price.
Price and reception
The spoon costs 24,750 yen, which the outlet converts to about 140 euros at the current exchange rate. The video received 2,700 comments. Some viewers criticised the product, saying that salt costs 2 dollars, while others were impressed by it.
The article also notes the medical context of salt intake. Sodium is an essential nutrient that regulates fluids and allows nerves and muscles to work, but high consumption is usually associated with raised blood pressure and a greater risk of heart attacks and strokes. Eliminating salt completely is not healthy either, the outlet adds.
