‘Tasty Spoon’ device aims to boost food flavours for people with dementia

The ‘Tasty Spoon’ is a breakthrough technological aid aiming to use electrostimulation to help people with taste loss, a symptom of dementia, with the hope to maintain a level of healthy nutrition.

Development of the aid is being led by Sheffield University, drawing on the design and prototyping skills of engineers from the AMRC to create the spoon.

Having dementia can cause a decline of working taste buds which can lead to people not eating sufficient amounts of the right foods, or by eating more salt and sugar to compensate for the loss of flavour. The researchers said that this can lead to high levels of malnutrition or an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.

In a statement, project lead Dr Christian Morgner, of Sheffield University’s Management School and Healthy Lifespan Institute, said: “A loss of taste can remove the enjoyment of food which impacts patient wellbeing as food plays such a significant role in our lives. This is especially prevalent in patients who live alone or in public care homes with more generalised nutrition.

“The development of a technological aid like the Tasty Spoon has the potential to rekindle the pleasure of eating for those facing taste-related challenges and therefore contribute to better health as well as mitigating the expense of treating the side-effects of poor nutrition for the NHS.”

The rechargeable device will resemble a traditional spoon and is set to be easy to use unassisted and simple to clean. The spoon will look to help patients differentiate between different types of food, restore an enriching meal experience, and aims to use established distribution channels for patients and carers.

Research engineers at the AMRC are developing a proof-of-concept prototype spoon that will incorporate the electronics needed to deliver the subtle electrostimulation to the user – alongside considering environmentally-friendly materials and production methods.

They will also work with user groups to evaluate waveforms and frequencies to see if users can determine enhanced flavour through the Tasty Spoon, as well as determining the optimum positioning of the electrodes that will be embedded in the spoon. 

The project has been funded by the Alzheimer’s Society through its Accelerator Programme – designed to bring new dementia products and innovations to market – to work on the commercialisation of the device, making it accessible and affordable for people living with dementia.