Reducing sodium dietary intake is a global priority in public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends sodium intake for adults to be 2 g/day maximum, equivalent to 5 g/day of cooking salt (sodium chloride, NaCl), whereas the estimated salt intake in Europe ranges from 7 to 13 g per day. For this reason, in the last decade, the food industry has undertaken actions to reduce salt levels in many products. Bread is a significant source of dietary sodium in Western countries. Therefore, reducing salt content in bread would have a major impact on global health and this strategy is being followed in many countries.

Fig. 1.

Salt reduction, however, can affect food sensory properties. For this reason, we decided to study the efficacy of two sodium reduction approaches in preserving the sensory profile of yeasted wheat bread and consumer liking. In the first approach, a reduced-sodium salt substitute named Pansalt® (formulated with sodium, potassium, and magnesium salts and a little of lysine to reduce bitter and metallic aftertaste due to potassium) was employed in place of normal salt (NaCl only) to manufacture bread at 1.5% salt concentration. In the second approach, a reduced-salt bread with a heterogeneous distribution of normal salt (1% NaCl) was manufactured by twisting two strings of dough, one containing 2% salt and the other one without any salt (Fig. 1). We believed that the taste contrast culd deceive perception of salty taste. Both reformulated breads were compared with bread containing uniformly distributed 1.5% (Italian average) and 1.0% (reduced) salt concentration. Sensory evaluation was performed by a group of highly trained panellists.

The use of 1.5% Pansalt® did not preserve the intensity of salty taste of the 1.5% NaCl bread. Saltiness was rather comparable to that of the 1% NaCl bread. However, the overall flavour intensity was like that of 1.5% NaCl bread and no bitter and metallic notes were perceived.

In the bread with heterogeneous 1% salt distribution, both the salty taste and overall flavour were not significantly different from the 1.5% NaCl bread.

Furthermore, both reformulated breads preserved the olfactory and consistency characteristics of the NaCl 1.5% bread, except for the toasted odour, which was lower in Pansalt 1.5% bread. Chemical analysis supported these results, showing that substitution of 1.5% NaCl with 1.5% Pansalt® reduced the formation of odorant volatile substances during baking.

The heterogeneous salt distribution enhanced saltiness perception with respect to bread containing the same amount of NaCl (1%) uniformly distributed in the bread matrix. A 33% salt reduction (from 1.5% to 1%) was achieved with no reduction in salty taste or other sensory changes.

In addition, hedonic evaluations were conducted with 203 adult bread consumers balanced by gender and age groups, who answered for overall liking, perceived salt intensity and intention to purchase. Interestingly, groups of consumers differing in their perception and response to salt reduction approaches were identified. Some consumers were more positive towards bread with added Pansalt®. These may have experienced an enhanced overall impression of flavour, rather than an increase of salty taste. For another group, the taste contrast approach was most effective. Hence, we conclude that different approaches may be implemented to reduce salt in bread for different target groups. However, for 42% of consumers both approaches were ineffective.

These results may provide guidance to sodium reduction in bread. We must also consider that this study was conducted with Italian consumers recruited in a limited geographical area, which may not be representative of other populations. Food habits differences among cultures might influence consumer perception or preference, and this could be verified through replicated studies in different cultural environments.

Fiorella Sinesio, Antonio Raffo, Marina Peparaio, Elisabetta Moneta, Eleonora Saggia Civitelli, Valentina Narducci, Valeria Turfani, Stefano Ferrari Nicoli, Marina Carcea
CREA – Research Centre for Food and Nutrition, Rome, Italy

Publication

Impact of sodium reduction strategies on volatile compounds, sensory properties and consumer perception in commercial wheat bread
Fiorella Sinesio, Antonio Raffo, Marina Peparaio, Elisabetta Moneta, Eleonora Saggia Civitelli, Valentina Narducci, Valeria Turfani, Stefano Ferrari Nicoli, Marina Carcea
Food Chem. 2019 Dec 15

Read offline:     

Related Articles:

	Maternal intake of resveratrol can help piglets… Under commercial conditions, early weaning in pigs involves abrupt separation from sows, resulting in a sudden move to a new environment at a much younger age than would occur in…
	The algal organic matter: A novel carbon source to… In recent years, nitrogen pollution, especially nitrate is an important problem faced by lots of reservoirs. Excessive nitrogen levels can cause water eutrophication, resulting in deterioration of water quality by…
	Essential fatty acids in the vegan/total vegetarian diet People choose vegetarian/vegan diets and for many reasons, however, these diets require careful dietary planning. The essential polyunsaturated n-6 (omega-6) and n-3 (omega-3) fatty acids are required for synthesis of…
	Starch fatty acid esters - versatile bio-based… The biopolymer starch is well-known in the kitchen for baking, cooking, and as a component of flour and is available in large quantities. This makes starch interesting as sustainable resource…
	Waking a sleeping giant: How increasing Africa's… Africa is home to 1.4 billion people, of whom 55 million suffer from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite this, Africa contributes to only 1.7% of the world’s cardiovascular science. We studied…
	Edible coating for enhancing the shelf life of… Preserving food, especially horticulture products, is one of the most difficult farm work. The global community has highlighted this problem and set a target of halving per-capita food waste by…