Photo/Illutration Chopsticks that can change the taste of food when charged with electricity (Yu Fujinami)

Electrified chopsticks that change the taste of food extended the winning streak of Japanese researchers for a satiric Ig Nobel Prize to 17 straight years.

Hiromi Nakamura, a project associate professor at the University of Tokyo, and Homei Miyashita, a professor at Meiji University, won the Ig Nobel Prize in Nutrition for their research on augmented gustation using electricity on Sept. 14.

The Ig Nobels honor “research that makes people laugh and then think.”

Christian Chan, an associate professor at the International Christian University in Tokyo, became a co-winner of the Ig Nobel Prize in Education for his team’s studies that showed a correlation between boring teachers and bored students.

In 2011, when Nakamura was a graduate student studying under Miyashita’s supervision, she conducted experiments to determine how electrification changes the taste of food.

In a trial run, Nakamura put a piece of agar on her tongue and charged it with a small amount of electricity. The taste changed instantly when she turned the switch on and off.

Although the result was expected, Nakamura said she was surprised because the shift in taste was so palpable.

Nakamura attached positive and negative electrodes to chopsticks and drinking straws because she thought the technology, once commercialized, would be used at dining tables.

She ate cheese with chopsticks and consumed sport drinks with a straw, among other samples, and confirmed changes in their tastes.

When she adjusted the layouts of electrodes and the directions of electrical currents, the intensity of ingredients’ acidity and bitterness fluctuated.

Last year, Miyashita and Kirin Holdings Co. developed a spoon and bowl that enhance the saltiness of food through electricity.

The research was more than just a tongue-in-cheek experiment.

The Electric Salt eating utensils are designed for people on low-sodium diets due to high blood pressure or other health problems.

“Most of all, I am surprised (by the award),” Nakamura said. “I am honored to be recognized for the research.”

Miyashita said he appreciates the award, saying the research led him to a number of discoveries.

The Ig Nobel Prize in Education went to a team of international researchers, including Chan, which conducted an experiment at a junior high school in Hong Kong.

The team made the exciting discovery that students become bored and cannot concentrate in class when the teacher gives the lesson in a boring manner.

Chan said he was surprised that research on boredom has been recognized as something that makes people laugh.

The award ceremony was held online for the fourth consecutive year due to precautions against novel coronavirus infections.

Winners received image data of 10 trillion Zimbabwe dollars, which is almost worthless.

(This article was written by Yu Fujinami and Ryoma Komiyama.)

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