Science Shorts: Asian seafood automation, dates as functional snack, kimchi for immune regulation and more feature in our round-up

Asian seafood automation, dates as functional snack, kimchi for immune regulation and more feature in this edition of Science Shorts. Read more

Umami boost: Kirin’s electric spoon aims to reduce excessive salt intake among Japanese population

Kirin has released a spoon that uses electricity to intensify the umami taste of food to address the issue of excessive salt intake among the Japanese population. Read more

Consumers who eat more vegetables have higher salt intake – Japanese survey analysis

Japanese consumers with higher dietary intake of vegetables tend to have a higher salt intake, prompting a need for policy interventions that encourage vegetable preparation with less sodium, say researchers. Read more

Red yeast rice impact: Kobayashi Pharmaceutical records nearly US$25m losses in Q1

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical reported an “extraordinary loss” of nearly US$25m (JPY$3.86bn) in its Q1 results due to the recall of its contaminated red yeast rice products, raw materials, and compensation of medical expenses. Read more