Reducing Sodium in Foods: The Effect on Flavor

Sodium is an essential micronutrient and, via salt taste, appetitive. High consumption of sodium is, however, related to negative health effects such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and stroke. In industrialized countries, about 75% of sodium in the diet comes from manufactured foods and foods eaten away from home. Reducing sodium in processed foods will be, however, challenging due to sodium’s specific functionality in terms of flavor and associated palatability of foods (i.e., increase of saltiness, reduction of bitterness, enhancement of sweetness and other congruent flavors). The current review discusses the sensory role of sodium in food, determinants of salt taste perception and a variety of strategies, such as sodium replacers (i.e., potassium salts) and gradual reduction of sodium, to decrease sodium in processed foods while maintaining palatability

Reducing sodium in foods ; the effect on flavour and consumers\u27 perception

As the majority of people\u27s sodium intake is via processed foods, the effective sodium reduction strategy is to reduce the sodium levels in processed foods.  The aims of the thesis were to determine the flavor characteristics of reduced sodium foods and to investigate how food lables affect consumers\u27 expectation and liking

Applications of inulin and probiotics in health and nutrition

Interest in consumption of prebiotics and probiotics to improve human gastrointestinal health is increasing. Consumption of beneficial probiotic bacteria combined with oligosaccharides may enhance colonic bacterial composition and improve internal health. The objectives of this article are to review existing literature concerning the effect of synbiotic foods on the composition and activity of the colonic microbiota, and efficiency of functional attributes of synbiotic foods in formulation and development of new dairy products

Hypocholesterolaemic effect and anti-hypertensive properties of probiotics and prebiotics: A review

Hypercholesterolaemia (HCE) and hypertension (HT) are two major contributing factors in development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). As synthetic medications used to treat HCE and HT can cause several side effects such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, various dietary approaches have been proposed to improve the HCE and HT at the population level. Most popular dietary intervention includes the use of probiotics and prebiotics in the development of functional foods. This review covers (1) the hypocholesterolaemic effects and anti-hypertensive properties of probiotics and prebiotics via several mechanisms, (2) the evidence generated from both in vitro experiments and in vivo trials and some controversial findings that are raised, (3) the effective dosage of prebiotics and probiotics, and (4) safety issues regarding the use of probiotics and prebiotics in human diet

Cholesterol reduction mechanisms and fatty acid composition of cellular membranes of probiotic Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria

The cholesterol removal by 14 strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria was investigated by measuring the residual cholesterol in de Mann, Rogosa, Sharpe (MRS) broth supplemented with cholesterol. The ability of probiotics to deconjugate bile salts was examined using BSH activity and LA2400 and BL5022 were found to liberate significantly more cholic acid than other probiotic strains. Amongst the selected probiotic strains, BL5022, LA2404, LA2410 and BB5286 demonstrated the highest cholesterol removal ability. The cholesterol assimilation by growing cells was significantly higher than the resting and dead cells. Significant changes were observed in the fatty acid composition of the cellular membranes of all probiotics incubated in presence of cholesterol, thus indicating cholesterol removal by adsorption or absorption. This study confirmed the suitability of BL5022, LA2404, and LA2410 strains for application in functional food formulations especially where cholesterol reduction in food is needed

Health labelling can influence taste perception and use of table salt for reduced-sodium products

Objective : To investigate the effect of front-of-pack labels on taste perception and use of table salt for currently available and sodium-reduced soups.Design : Within-subject design.Setting : Sensory laboratory.Subjects : Participants (n 50, mean age 34·8 (sd 13·6) years) were randomly served nine soups (250 ml each) across 3 d. Servings differed in: (i) health label (i.e. no health label, reduced-salt label or Heart Foundation Tick); and (ii) sodium reduction (no reduction – benchmark, 15 % less sodium or 30 % less sodium). Before tasting, participants rated their expected salt intensity and liking. After tasting, participants rated their perceived salt intensity and liking, after which they could add salt to the soup to make it more palatable.Results : Reduced-salt labels generated a negative taste expectation and actual taste experience in terms of liking (P < 0·05) and perceived saltiness (P < 0·05). Perceived saltiness of sodium-reduced soups decreased more (P < 0·05), and consumers added more salt (P < 0·05), when soups carried the reduced-salt label. The tick logo and soups without health labels had no such influence on taste perception.Conclusions : Emphasizing salt reduction by means of a front-of-pack label can have a negative effect on taste perception and salt use, especially when consumers are able to taste differences between their regular soup and the sodium-reduced soup. Overall health logos which do not emphasize the reduction in salt are less likely to affect perceived salt intensity and therefore are viable solutions to indicate the healthiness of sodium-reduced products