Flavorful Future for Consumers

Information from past Prepared Foods’ R&D Application Seminars presented information on consumer trends and how flavorings could play a role from beverage formulations to sodium reduction to masking and enhancing flavor. Though sodium is vital, it has been linked to serious health problems including hypertension, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and more. Despite the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommending sodium reduction, salt is not easy to replace in food systems. However, there are a number of approaches to reducing sodium in food products.

If the reduction of sodium is less than 10%, most people do not notice a difference. Salt preference is a learned behavior, and if a person reduces the sodium in their food, that reduction becomes the new normal.

For sodium reductions greater than 10%, flavor extractors and enhancers must be used. Yeast extracts, hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, trehalose, certain amino acids, herbs and spices and maillard reaction products in low concentration can all help enhance the perception of saltiness.

Other ideas include increasing the food aroma; replacing sodium with ions that are similar in size such as calcium, magnesium, or potassium; or using sea salt.