The Science of Taste Modification: Enhancing Salt Perception in Reduced Sodium Foods
Session Track: Consumer Lifestyles & Demographics
Session Date: Thursday, February 28, 2013; 9:15 - 10:15 a.m.
Session Description
Sodium intake in the United States exceeds the maximum intake level by nearly 50%, but despite continued attempts to encourage consumer reduction of sodium, there has been an upward trend in consumption over the past forty years. This is in part because consumers actually have limited control over the sodium in their food. Only 10% of dietary sodium is added by consumers, with the remaining 90% coming from foods that are processed or consumed away from home. This puts much of the burden of reducing sodium on the food industry. This challenge has been met with a number of new strategies for sodium reduction by taste modification, which promises decreased sodium levels without a decrease in perceived salty taste. This session will focus on a number of these strategies, including physical alterations to the salt or food, use of both congruent flavors and phantom aromas, and inclusion of complementary tastings.
Speaker Information
Robert Sobel, Ph.D., Director of Technology and Innovation, FONA International
Rachel Cheatham, Ph.D., Sr. Vice President, Nutrition Communications, Weber Shandwick and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy, Tufts University