Kirin's electric spoon leaps from Ig Nobel infamy to the dinner table

An employee of Kirin Holdings demonstrates an electric spoon, jointly developed with Meiji University's School of Science and Technology professor Homei Miyashita, that can enhance the salty taste in food, in Tokyo, May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese drinks giant Kirin Holdings will start selling an electrified spoon that researchers claim can promote healthier eating by enhancing salty tastes without extra sodium.

Monday's product launch marks the first commercialisation of technology that last year won an Ig Nobel Prize, which honours unusual and whimsical research.