The Salt Flip: Sensory mitigation of salt (and sodium) reduction with monosodium glutamate (MSG) in “Better‐for‐You” foods

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that reduced‐salt versions of four “better‐for‐you” dishes enhanced with monosodium glutamate (MSG) through a “Salt Flip” in an amount that still substantially reduced total sodium matched the consumer acceptance of normal‐salt versions. Three versions each—standard recipe with normal salt, reduced salt, and reduced salt with MSG, of four dishes—roasted vegetables (RV), quinoa bowl (QB), savory yogurt dip (SD), and pork cauliflower fried rice (CR) were evaluated by 163 consumers for overall liking and liking of appearance, flavor, and texture/mouthfeel on the nine‐point hedonic scale, preference, adequacy of flavor, saltiness, and aftertaste on just‐about‐right (JAR) scales, likeliness to order, and sensory characteristics by check‐all‐that‐apply. For each dish, the MSG recipe was liked the same (or significantly more for SD, P < 0.05) than the standard recipe, and better than the reduced salt recipe for QB and CR. The same was true of likeliness to order. MSG recipes of QB and SD were significantly preferred to the standard recipes, with no difference for RV and CR. MSG recipes were consistently described as “delicious,” “flavorful,” and “balanced.” Penalty‐lift analysis showed that “delicious,” “flavorful,” “balanced,” “fresh,” and “savory”; and “bland,” “rancid,” and “bitter,” were positive and negative drivers of liking, respectively. Two of three uncovered preference clusters, accounting for 68% of consumers, consistently liked MSG recipes, and the same or more so than standard recipes. We conclude that MSG can successfully be used to mitigate salt and sodium reduction without compromising consumer acceptance of better‐for‐you foods. Practical Application The Salt Flip offers a promising dietary sodium reduction strategy through the addition of monosodium glutamate (MSG) to reduced‐salt, savory, better‐for‐you foods that does not compromise consumer acceptance of their sensory profile.

Dishes Adapted to Dysphagia: Sensory Characteristics and Their Relationship to Hedonic Acceptance

“…That the dishes present not-too-strong and recognizable odors helps to increase the perception of flavor [ 25 ]. The right amount of salt increases the acceptability of the dish [ 36 ] and even swallowing safety for people with dysphagia [ 32 , 37 ]. For its part, PB was often assigned the “soft texture” attribute, similar to CS.…”

“…This could differentiate it as a dish more suitable for dysphagia, since low firmness is essential for people with this condition to have greater ease in swallowing [ 12 , 22 , 23 ]. However, PB also stood out in attributes such as “sticky,” which should not appear in products intended for dysphagia [ 12 ], and “bland,” which has been shown to reduce the acceptance of dishes [ 21 , 36 ]. This latter attribute was shared by LR.…”

Edible Mushrooms as a Natural Source of Food Ingredient/Additive Replacer

“…However, there is no doubt that, nowadays, sodium consumption exceeds the healthy recommended values established by the World Health Organization (5 g of salt/day or 2 g of sodium/day) [71]. Abundant literature has shown the health problems associated with a high dietary sodium intake, such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and diet-associated diseases [72], and a limitation of salt intake is a necessary measure.…”

Can umami taste be an adequate tool for reducing sodium in food preparations?

“…Sodium intake is an important public concern in most countries, as it is linked to several chronic diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal failure and osteoporosis, among others (Halim et al, 2020). Reducing sodium intake has been clinically shown to lower blood pressure short term (Sacks et al, 2001) and mortality from stroke and heart disease long term (Law, 2000).…”