Introduction: Hypertension is a cardiovascular disease caused by genetics, environment and other factors, with increased blood pressure in the circulating arteries as the main clinical manifestation. Hypertension is a chronic disease that seriously endangers life and health, and brings a huge economic burden to families and society.
Excessive salt intake is a major trigger for hypertension, and people with low salt intake have a low prevalence of hypertension, such as Yanomana Island residents, who mainly eat a salt-free diet, with an average daily sodium intake of only 0.2 mmol, and the lifetime prevalence of hypertension is even 0 [1]. Therefore, reducing the amount of salt consumed is an effective way to control high blood pressure.
1
Reasons for the development of electric chopsticks
According to the "Report on the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2020)" released by the National Health Commission, the average daily cooking salt in Chinese in 2020 was 9.3 grams, a decrease of 1.2 grams compared with 2015, and household salt reduction has achieved results. The World Health Organization recommends a maximum of 5 grams of salt per day, Chinese the average amount of salt consumption still significantly exceeds the recommended amount. Chinese prefer salty taste, so salt reduction has become a topic contrary to living habits.
The same problem is not only china, but also the traditional diet of Japan, which also prefers salty taste. According to the "National Health and Nutrition Survey Report (2020)" released by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the daily salt intake of Japanese adults is as follows: 10.9g for men and 9.3g for women, which is twice the recommended amount of the World Health Organization and is comparable to that of China. To this end, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare recommends that the daily intake of salt be less than 6.0 grams, and to achieve this goal, it is necessary to reduce the salt intake in the current Japanese diet by more than 20%. Therefore, without changing living habits, Japanese scientists have explored changing taste perception.
2
Research and development content of electric chopsticks
Since 2019, Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and beverage maker Kirin Holdings Co. have been working on the study of "electric taste." "Electric taste" uses a very weak electric current to stimulate the taste system, changing the human taste perception of food without affecting the normal function of the human body. Experiments have shown that by sending an electrical signal to the tongue, the device can change the tongue's taste of food and improve the perception of saltiness by 1.5 times. That is, when eating foods with a 30% reduced salt content, chopsticks equipped with this technique can provide a salty taste comparable to a normal meal (Figure 1) [2].
Figure 1 Test report (Source: Meiji University website)
The trial selected 36 men and women aged 40-65 and asked subjects to use electronic chopsticks to samples that mimic ordinary foods (containing 0.80% salt) and simulated low-salt foods (containing 0.56% salt), as well as sodium-reducing miso soup (Figure 2). The results found that when tasting samples mimicking low-sodium foods, subjects with electrical stimulation had a 1.5-fold increased perception of saltiness compared with no electrical stimulation. In addition, when electrical stimulation was applied, the subjects had the same intensity of saltiness perception of samples that mimicked low-sodium foods as samples that mimicked ordinary foods. In experiments with sodium-reducing miso soup, subjects reported that after using electrical stimulation, miso soup richness, sweetness, and overall taste were improved. This suggests that subjects used electronic chopsticks to taste foods with a 30% reduction in salt content, and their perception of saltiness was comparable to that of a regular meal.
Figure 2 Providing the use of weak electrically stimulated electronic chopsticks (Source: Meiji University official website)
Miyashita said: "This device transmits a weak electric current through the chopsticks to the mouth, creating a salty taste in the mouth, and as a result, the salty taste is increased by a factor of 1.5. The intensity of the current is controlled by a microcomputer and does not impair the taste function. Kirin Holdings Co researchers said: "To prevent diseases caused by excessive salt intake, we need to reduce salt intake. If we reduce the salt intake of the traditional diet, then we will have to strictly adhere to the tedious low-salt diet and not eat the foods we love. This product, by changing the taste experience, helps people control the amount of salt they take while tasting food. ”
Currently, Miyashita and Kirin Holdings Co are improving the chopstick prototype and hope to commercialize it as early as next year.
3
"Lick screen TV" mimics the taste of food
Before developing the "electronic chopsticks", the Miyashita team also carried out the project development of Taste The TV (TTTV). TTTV is a lickable TV screen that mimics the taste of food and is designed to create a multi-sensory viewing experience. TTTV uses a seasoning mechanism consisting of 10 flavoring jars that are sprayed in combination with specific procedures to create the flavor of a specific food. Flavor samples are rolled over a hygienic film on the flat-screen TV screen for viewers to "lick the screen" to try out for a taste experience (Figure 3).
Figure 3 TTTV live demonstration (Source: Meiji University official website)
Miyashita said: "In the era of COVID-19, this technology can enhance people's connection to the outside world and increase the number of ways they interact with the outside world. Our goal is for people to taste the food in restaurants on the other side of the world, even at home. We wanted to be able to create a platform where users could download and enjoy delicious food from all over the world as easy as downloading music from the web. TTTV can also be applied to distance learning for sommeliers and chefs, as well as wine tasting games and quizzes. ”
It is reported that the manufacturing cost of the commercial version of TTTV is about 100,000 yen (about 5,034 yuan). If TTTV can really achieve the function of imitating the taste of various foods and realize the tasting through "licking the screen", then the long-cherished wish of countless people to "taste the food of the world" will be satisfied. The birth of TTTV gives people the illusion that the metacosm shines into reality, and the development of "electronic chopsticks" is the gospel of healthy eating.
Written | essay competition
Typography | Luna
End
Resources:
[1] Mancilha-Carvalho JJ, de Oliveira R, Esposito RJ. Blood pressure and electrolyte excretion in the Yanomamo Indians, an isolated population. J Hum Hypertens. 1989 Oct;3(5):309-14. PMID: 2810327.
[2]https://www.meiji.ac.jp/cip/english/news/2022/t4q24j0000006ezt.html
This article is a biological exploration original, welcome to forward and share. If any other media or website needs to be reprinted, the source of biological exploration must be indicated in front of the main text.