This Japanese researcher uses electricity to make food taste saltier. Meet Homei Miyashita, a professor at Japan’s Meiji University and winner of the 2023 Ig Nobel Prize
Electrified chopsticks can make bland ramen taste salty without adding any salt! “Electricity stimulates taste receptors and makes sodium ions in the mouth stick to the tongue," he explains
For those with high blood pressure, electric tableware could help them reduce salt intake without sacrificing on flavour
Professor Miyashita has also developed lickable devices with dissolved electrolytes that simulate flavours like sweet, salty, sour, bitter or umami
Miyashita also invented a “lickable TV” which lets viewers taste the food items seen on screen. An upgraded version can even let people with allergies safely sample flavours they can't normally have
Italian physicist Luigi Galvani first demonstrated how electricity can affect taste in 1752. This led to the electrogustometry” (EGM) test used to diagnose taste disorders