Electronic spoon reveals when soup is too salty

For those with high blood pressure or other conditions that require a reduced sodium intake, the Salinity Monitor Spoon is now on hand to help by measuring the salinity of liquids and sauces.

Restaurant and processed foods are notoriously saltier than home-cooked varieties, which can prove a problem for those with high blood pressure or other conditions that require a reduced sodium intake. Since it’s sometimes hard to tell just how salty a soup really is, the Salinity Monitor Spoon is now on hand to help by measuring the salinity of liquids and sauces. Launched recently by Japanese Compact Impact, the Salinity Monitor Spoon can assess the saltiness of liquid foods at temperatures between 140F and 176F. Users simply put the spoon into the soup or other liquid and watch the three displays on the device’s handle indicate whether the food’s salinity is between 0.6 and 0.8 percent, between 0.9 and 1.1 percent, or 1.2 percent or higher. Those who need to reduce salt intake can then choose how much of the food to eat. Pricing on the Salinity Monitor Spoon is currently USD 58. Similar in many ways to the D+caf Test Strip for measuring caffeine content in decaf coffee, the Salinity Monitor Spoon and devices like it could prove useful for an ageing population with increasing health issues. Retailers far and wide: One to help bring to health-conscious consumers in your part of the world? Spotted by: Eric Tan