Salt Reduction

Salt Leatherhead Food Research (Leatherhead) is launching a series of new collaborative initiatives. This particular project will look at reducing the salt content within selected product applications by studying the effectiveness of the following approaches;

Novel ingredients
Salt replacers
Salt crystallinity
Stealth

Ingredient suppliers will have the opportunity to provide their products to be included in the project and food manufacturers will be able to select the best approach to reduce the salt contents in mainstream products using optimal ingredients and processes as identified in this project.

Background

Salt reduction is one of the main drivers dominating the food industry, and is being pushed by Governments for health reasons. In 2004, Leatherhead carried out a research project in collaboration with the food industry. A total of 36 collaborators from the food, ingredient and retail industry participated in the research study with the aim of developing technology to facilitate the reduction of sodium levels in foods without losing palatability and positive taste acceptance. The project was based around three key themes:

Addition of products to enhance saltiness thereby allowing less salt to be added
Optimising the presentation of salt tasting' species in the mouth
Replacement of sodium by potassium or other salt replacers in foods

As part of the project, several salt substitutes and salt enhancers were identified and evaluated in five different food applications. Different forms of sodium chloride were also evaluated and developed to assess the effect of the physical form of solid sodium chloride on salty taste perception in applications utilising topical salt addition.

This collaborative project will follow up on previous findings and will be extended to evaluate the new developments within the food industry. New salt substitutes will be investigated in different food applications and compared with previous findings. Based on the findings of the 2004 collaborative study relating to the effect of the physical structure of salt on perceived saltiness, a follow up will take place looking into the feasibility and technicality of using the small particles specifically focussed on snack products. Gradual reduction of salt and consumer's change of liking of salt will be explored further to identify optimal approaches to lower salt in food applications.

Aims

Reduction of salt levels in different food applications by:

Evaluation and optimisation of commercially available and novel salt replacers
Utilisation of different forms of sodium chloride
Establishing best approaches for adapting the consumers palate to food with lower salt levels

Experimental Approach

A number of salt tastants will be identified by Leatherhead and participants in the project and applied to different food applications to establish their potential as alternatives to salt. The precise salt tastants and type of applications will be dependent on the project participants; however the following food applications are likely to be included:

Bread
Biscuits
Meat products
Sauces
Snack products
Soups

The sensory characteristics of the salt-reduced products will be compared against the controls using appropriate sensory methods to assess the effects of the salt tastants on all relevant sensory attributes of the samples. Consumer studies will also take place to measure acceptability and attitudes towards the reduced salt variants and to measure the effects of reduction of salt by stealth.

Benefits of participating in this collaborative

Reducing the salt contents in mainstream products using optimal processes as identified in this project.
Comparing different existing and novel salt reduction strategies
Understanding the consumer attitudes towards salt reduction, and identifying the effects of stealth