Global trends and challenges in salt reduction: Exploring odor-induced saltiness enhancement as a strategy to reduce salt intake

Abstract

Background

High salt intake is associated with various health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and kidney disease, highlighting the need for strategies to reduce salt consumption whereas maintaining saltiness perception and food quality. Odor-induced saltiness enhancement (OISE) has emerged as a promising approach in salt reduction.

Scope and approach

This review discusses OISE with a focus on recent research, odorants and matrix selection, underlying mechanism, and novel technical approaches. Applications as well as challenges of the OISE technology in food products will also be reviewed.

Key findings and conclusions

OISE is effective in reducing intake by increasing perceived saltiness via the olfactory-taste pathway. This may also include the extension of the range of odorants tested and their enhancing effects by salts in various food matrices, including non-liquid forms. Further development could be favored by the improvement of tools and methodologies for evaluation, such as microfluidics, animal and cell models, atomic force microscopy, and biophysical techniques. However, all these complexities of odorants, consumer acceptance, the balance of odorants with food flavor, and possible health effects need further consideration in practical aspects of the food industry. The following review highlights insights into the direction of future salt reduction research.