What if utensils could impart that salty flavor? That’s the odd solution from Nimesha Ranasinghe, who just joined the University of Maine as an assistant professor and director of the Multisensory Interactive Media Lab.
Ranasinghe created a pair of chopsticks with electrodes embedded in the tips, enabling them to gently zap the tongue to produce simulated flavors. Then he had people eat unsalted mashed potatoes with the chopsticks. In this study, which he describes in the journal Food Research International, he found that he could reliably increase the perception of saltiness.
Humans love salt, because salt makes food taste better. It’s such a truism that a whole genre of folk tale exists on the theme.
But too much salt isn’t good for the human body. In the United States alone, about 30 percent of all adults have high blood pressure, and should therefore reduce their sodium intake. Unfortunately, it’s hard to convince people to eat bland food.
What if utensils could impart that salty flavor? That’s the odd solution from Nimesha Ranasinghe, who just joined the University of Maine as an assistant professor and director of the Multisensory Interactive Media Lab.
Ranasinghe created a pair of chopsticks with electrodes embedded in the tips, enabling them to gently zap the tongue to produce simulated flavors. Then he had people eat unsalted mashed potatoes with the chopsticks. In this study, which he describes in the journal Food Research International, he found that he could reliably increase the perception of saltiness.
According to spectrum
