By SATOSHI SHINDEN/ Staff Writer
December 4, 2024 at 17:35 JST
Ippudo’s low-salt ramen served with a special spoon that enhances saltiness in food (Satoshi Shinden)
Health-conscious ramen fans can still enjoy their favorite dish without compromising on salt intake.
Popular ramen chain Ippudo said it will soon offer noodles with 30 percent less sodium, served with a special spoon that technologically enhances the perception of saltiness in food.
The limited menu will be available at Ippudo’s Hamamatsucho Stand in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Dec. 13, 14, 21 and 22.
The initiative is a collaboration between Chikaranomoto Co., the chain’s operator, and Kirin Holdings Co., the creator of the Electric Salt Spoon.
Around 600 servings will be offered over the four days, with reservations required, the two companies announced Dec. 3.
The special dish will cost 1,000 yen ($6.70), including tax, and may return as a permanent menu item if it proves popular.
As the diner eats from the special spoon, a faint electric current races through the food and the person’s body.
This pulls the dispersed sodium ions in the food closer to the tongue, enhancing the perception of saltiness, according to Kirin, which co-developed the device with Meiji University in Tokyo.
“We received so many requests from customers who have to watch their salt intake and are on a salt-reduced diet but still want to enjoy ramen,” said Hidenobu Tomita from the product development team at Chikaranomoto.
“The dish and the spoon are designed to provide a taste as close to regular ramen as possible,” he added.
It works even when the diner uses chopsticks as long as the bowl of the spoon is dipped in the broth.
This allows the electric currents to travel through the liquid and noodles to reach the tongue, the companies said.
The spoon has featured on Kirin’s website since May for 19,800 yen and is sold through a lottery system due to its limited supply.
This is not the only effort to enhance the taste of low-sodium foods using electrical technology.
In September, food company Ajinomoto Co. announced it had developed a technology similar to the functions of Kirin’s spoon.
Created in collaboration with the University of Tokyo and Ochanomizu University, the method intensifies the perception of saltiness by applying a mild electrical stimulation to the lower jaw and the back of the neck.
Ajinomoto aims to commercialize the technology in a wearable device that can be worn like headphones.
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