Salt sales in Japan will decrease as the “Electric Salt Spoon” makes food salty without the need for salt.
Salt in Japan has long been of economic and cultural importance. But what will happen to Japanese salt in the future? With the invention of the “Electric Salt Spoon” that can create saltiness without using salt!
In Japan, salt is very important both economically and culturally. Because in the food production process, “salt” is often an important ingredient to make food taste more “umami”. But because of this umami taste, Japanese people consume an average of 10 grams of salt per day, which is more than twice the amount recommended by the World Health Organization!
In addition to the excessive salt consumption by the Japanese, the production of salt also uses a lot of natural resources, including soil and sand (used to filter seawater), solar and wind energy (accelerating the evaporation of seawater and causing the salt to dry and crystallize), and wood or firewood (some salt production uses the boiling method, so wood and firewood are required). For this reason, there is an innovation called the “Electric Salt Spoon” that can create saltiness without relying on salt from the Japanese company Kirin Holdings.
The working principle of the “Electric Salt Spoon” is that it uses a mild electric current to stimulate a molecule at the tip of the tongue, allowing us to perceive the saltiness of food more without having to add salt. It can also adjust the saltiness to 4 levels, which will help us to be healthier. The advantage of this spoon is that it will reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease for consumers. However, this spoon also has limitations because it requires an electric current to stimulate the tongue to perceive saltiness more. If users have pacemakers, heart rate monitors, or are allergic to metals, this type of innovation may not be suitable because it may affect the medical equipment being used.
Kirin Holdings will start selling the spoon in Japan from May 2024 for 19,800 yen (about 4,600 baht), and plans to expand overseas this year, targeting 1 million users within 5 years. As a result, salt production in Japan and overseas may decrease significantly.
References