RESEARCH PROGRESS OF SALT REDUCTION: FROM INITIATIVES TO TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONCTION

Abstract

Salt is one of the most widely used condiments in the home cooking and the food industry. It not only contains an essential micronutrient for human beings (sodium), but also is an important and safe preservative in food processing sector. Excessive salt intake is linked to the high prevalence of hypertension and other related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and stroke. A reduction in salt intake across the whole population will be conducive to improvements in public health. However, reducing the salt content in foods is not a simple but a challenging task, since salt not only impacts the flavor and texture of the final products, but also plays an important role in processing and preservation of foods. The present review introduced the salt reduction actions around the world and different approaches for sodium reduction in foods, and further summarized emerging technologies that utilized in salt reduction in foods.