VOA新闻杂志2022--日本研究人员研制出能增强咸味的电子筷子

Japanese Researchers Develop Electric Chopsticks to Enhance Salty Taste

Japanese researchers have developed electric chopsticks that enhance the salty taste of foods. The devices could help people who need to reduce their intake¹ of sodium².

The chopsticks were developed by Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and drink manufacturer Kirin Holdings Company.

Wiring connects the chopsticks to a small computer device attached to the eater's hand.

A weak electrical current transports sodium ions from food through the chopsticks to the mouth, said Miyashita.

"As a result, the salty taste enhances 1.5 times," he said.

Miyashita and his research team have explored different ways that technology can interact with human senses. He has also developed a television screen that a person can lick to taste different food flavors.

The traditional diet in Japan is salty. The average Japanese adult eats about 10 grams of salt each day. That is two times the amount suggested by the World Health Organization.

High sodium intake is linked to increased cases of high blood pressure, strokes and other conditions.

"To prevent these diseases, we need to reduce the amount of salt we take," said Kirin researcher Ai Sato.

Sato added that if Japanese people try to reduce salt intake in the usual ways, they will need to cut many of their favorite foods from their diet. Otherwise, she said, they would have to eat bland³, or flavorless, food.

Miyashita and Kirin are improving their chopsticks and hope to have them ready to sell as early as next year.

Words in This Story

enhance – v. to make greater or better

lick – v. to pass the tongue over

flavor – n. the quality of something that affects the sense of taste

1 intake   

n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口

参考例句：

• Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
• There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

2 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

3 bland   

adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的

参考例句：

• He eats bland food because of his stomach trouble.他因胃病而吃清淡的食物。
• This soup is too bland for me.这汤我喝起来偏淡。