Spicy-Sensation of Wasabi Enhancement Method Using Anodal Electric Stimulation

Spicy-sensation enhancement methods are expected to improve eating satisfaction and reduce health hazards such as reflux esophagitis caused by excessive consumption of spicy ingredients. In this study, we focused on the spicy sensation of wasabi and proposed a novel method of enhancing its spiciness by anodal electrical stimulation. Our proposed method uses metal cutlery as an electrode to stimulate the nervous system part of the tongue related to the spicy sensation. To evaluate our new method, we conducted a psychophysical experiment. The result of the experiment evaluating our novel method demonstrated that anodal electric stimulation above 0.5
$\text{mA}$
enhances the spicy sensation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate the virtual enhancement effect of the spicy sensation of wasabi using anodal electric stimulation.