Abstract
Reducing salt (NaCl) intake is an important public health target. The food industry and catering services are searching for means to reduce the salt content in their products. This review focuses on options for salt reduction in foods and the sensory evaluation of salt-reduced foods. Simple salt reduction, mineral salts and flavor enhancers/modifiers (e.g., umami compounds) are common options for salt reduction. In addition, the modification of food texture and odor-taste interactions may contribute to enhanced salty taste perception. Maintaining consumer acceptance of the products is a challenge, and recent examples of the consumer perception of salt-reduced foods are presented.
Highlights
High dietary salt (NaCl) intake is a significant risk factor for hypertension and a common public health challenge worldwide [1]
The studies focusing on single salt taste quality as evaluated in taste thresholds and preferences of NaCl-water solutions in sensory laboratory may be misleading because, in foods, many different taste qualities are perceived simultaneously
Calcium di-glutamate (CDG) may improve the sensory and hedonic characteristics of lower sodium foods because it was found that CDG could partly replace sodium chloride in chicken broths [59]
Summary
High dietary salt (NaCl) intake is a significant risk factor for hypertension and a common public health challenge worldwide [1]. The World Health Organization recommends that adults should consume less than 2 g of sodium (5 g of salt) per day [2]. The current intake exceeds the recommended levels—for example, in selected European countries, the average salt intake of women is 7.3–10 g/day and that of men is 9.4–13.3 g/day [3]. In many European countries, home cooking has been declining, and only a very small part of sodium intake comes from household salt intake [6]. The role of the food industry and food services is critical, but they may have fears regarding reduced consumer preference and sales of low-salt products. Foods 2017, 6, 103 is critical in developing low-salt products, and the focus will be on the recent publications (mainly since 2010) on consumer acceptance and liking of salt-reduced/modified food products among adults
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