Electric fork zaps salt fans with flavour

Subject: Electric fork zaps salt fans with flavour Tue Apr 05, 2016 12:26 am

Sprinkling too much salt on food has long been linked to a range of health problems from strokes to heart disease.
So health-conscious salt lovers are likely to celebrate the fact that Japanese scientists have created a guilt-free way of enjoying it by means of a battery-powered fork.

Electric fork zaps salt fans with flavour A_300904habblue1

Electric fork zaps salt fans with flavour A_300904habblue1

The invention creates a salty taste in the mouth at the press of a button thanks to the release of an electrical current that stimulates the tongue.
The fork - which can create sour tastes as well as salty - was pioneered by Hiromi Nakamura from the Rekimoto Lab at the University of Tokyo.
The device, which cost researchers only $22 to make, is based on the fact that a human tongue “feels” salty or sour when electricity is applied to it.
The technology is likely to benefit people who are required for medical reasons to limit or eliminate salt from their diet, such as those suffering from hypertension.
The prototype was reportedly designed for an initiative called No Salt Restaurant, which aims to hold events serving salt-free meals.
The fork, which can run for six hours without charging, has three levels of electrical current, with varying degrees of saltiness or sourness depending on the eater’s age and normal dietary habits.
One researcher tested the fork by eating a salt-free “tonkatsu” pork cutlet with salt-free sour sauce and found that pressing the button made the pork more salty and the sauce more sour.
A salt-heavy diet has long been associated with high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease.

Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institutes of Science and Technology have developed a laser to test for poisonous food bacteria. In 20 seconds, they claim, the resulting images show easily distinguishable patterns for edible and contaminated food.

http://health.thewest.com.au/news/2728/electric-fork-zaps-salt-fans-with-flavour

Electric fork zaps salt fans with flavour

Electric fork zaps salt fans with flavour

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