Product made by new technology that “does not impair taste even with reduced salt”: developed by various companies

Recently NHK New on-line reported the following:

“減塩でも味は損なわない”新しい技術の商品 各社が開発

2022年10月11日 4時45分

塩分の取り過ぎを防ごうと、味を損なわずに減塩できる新しい技術を使った商品の開発が相次いでいます。

ビール大手の「キリンホールディングス」が大学の研究室と共同で開発したのは、電気の力で塩味を強める機能を備えたおわんとスプーンです。

電源を入れて手で持つと、ごく弱い電気が流れ、食べ物に含まれるナトリウムイオンの動きを制御することで薄味の減塩食でも塩味を強く感じられる仕組みです。実証実験を進めていて、来年の発売を目指しています。

ヘルスサイエンス事業部の佐藤愛さんは「食器を活用しておいしく、楽しく、減塩生活を送ってほしい」と話しています。

食品大手の「味の素」は、塩分カット率を最大60％まで高めただし調味料を開発しました。塩分を減らし、別の成分を組み合わせる独自の技術で塩味を損なわないようにしたということです。

家庭用のほか、最近では減塩食の需要が高い介護施設や病院向けに業務用の販売を強化していて、カット率をさらに高める研究も進めています。

日本人の食塩の平均摂取量は生活習慣病の予防に向けて国が定める目標量を上回っていて、こうした味を損なわずに減塩できる商品開発は、企業の間でさらに活発になりそうです。

Translation

In order to prevent excessive salt intake, products using new technology that could reduce salt without spoiling the taste were being developed one after another.

Kirin Holdings, a major beer company, had jointly developed a bowl and spoon that used electricity to enhance the salty taste.

It was a mechanism that made even light low-salt food tastes very salty by controlling the movement of sodium ions contained in food. As you turned on the power and hold the food in your hand, a very weak electric current flowed through. Demonstration experiments were proceeding with the aim to sell it next year.

Ms. Ai Sato of the Health Science Division said, "I want people to use tableware to lead a delicious, fun, and low-salt lifestyle."

Ajinomoto Co., a major food company, had developed a seasoning that could cut salt content by up to 60%. It meant that the salty taste would not be sacrificed by using a  peculiar technology for combining different ingredients.

In addition to home use, sales for commercial usage towards nursing homes and hospitals were strengthening as their demand for low-salt diets was high recently.  Research to further increase the cut rate were also being conducted.

The average salt intake of Japanese people exceeded the target amount set by the government for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. The development of products that could reduce salt without impairing the taste probably would become even more active among companies.

              So, Japanese researchers have developed a new technology that can reduce salt without spoiling the taste of the food. As the average salt intake of Japanese people exceeds the target amount set by the government for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, such a product probably can lower the consumption of salt.