On the primary night time of CES 2025, Kirin Holdings, a Japanese firm recognized for its beer and drinks, confirmed off its new digital spoon that makes your meals style saltier. The firm says its spoon makes use of a weak electrical present to pay attention sodium ion molecules in your meals, including a stronger umami and salt taste to low-sodium meals.
A restricted provide of the Electronic Salt Spoon went on sale in Japan in 2024 for roughly $127 in American {dollars}, however Kirin hopes to promote the system across the globe within the coming years. The firm claims this system can noticeably enhance the “saltiness” of your meals, with out including any extra sodium.
A crowd of individuals tried some soup utilizing Kirin’s spoon at CES Unveiled in Las Vegas. TechCrunch didn’t attempt it ourselves, as a result of there’s one thing a couple of communal tech convention spoon that simply isn’t that appetizing.
While the spoon appears too good to be true, there’s some convincing analysis behind it that implies it could be legit. The product launch of Kirin’s spoon marked the primary commercialization of know-how that received the 2023 Ig Nobel prize, a satirical award for uncommon scientific analysis. The researchers behind it first printed their thesis in 2011, however have since made spoons, forks, and chopsticks that cross electrical currents into meals.
Kirin says it created the spoon to assist folks devour much less salt. This downside is very related in Japan, the place the nation’s grownup inhabitants eats greater than double the World Health Organization’s beneficial consumption.
