Tricks of the trade

One approach the food industry has taken is to change the size and shape of the salt particles so that more of them reach the receptors on the taste buds on the tongue. This addresses the lack of salty taste when the amount of salt in processed food is reduced. But a different approach is needed to address the lack of overall flavour.

At home, this can be overcome by adding more herbs and spices. Another trick is to add foods that contain natural flavour enhancers, such as tomatoes or parmesan cheese, and combine these with low-salt soy sauce or tiny amounts of fish-based sauces, such as Worcester sauce, which contains anchovies. This works well because the nucleotides found in the fish and in the soy sauce work together with glutamic acid found in tomatoes or in cheese to give a more powerful savoury flavour.

We can further enhance the perception of saltiness by adding low levels of aromas that we associate with salty foods. This is the savoury version of adding vanilla to low-sugar products to give the impression that they are sweeter.

Researchers have tested complex flavourings as well as single aroma compounds for their ability to make us believe there is more salt in food than there actually is. The aromas that have been tested smell like meat, sardines, cheese or anchovy. And because we associate these foods with saltiness, we perceive the product as saltier, even though no salt has been added. In other words, we can trick the brain into thinking we are tasting salt.

There is also a backup plan. Researchers at the University of Reading have shown that the more we consume no-salt soup, the better it tastes. The participants in this study did not particularly like the no-salt soup, but after consuming it once a day for a week, participants liked the taste more than when they first tasted it. So you can always train your brain to enjoy a low-salt diet. It just takes practice.

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