Savoring the Salty Side of Life

Some people crave sweet treats while others find salty foods irresistible. Boosting rich, delicious salty and savory tastes is more important than ever in an industry driven by flavor trends. Today, food manufacturers and culinary professionals are rethinking how they approach using ingredients that bring salty and savory tastes to food products, especially as they try to bring big flavor impact to foods while addressing clean label and health and wellness concerns of consumers.

That may mean using a flavored sea salt to season potato chips or sprinkle atop chocolate truffles, yeast extracts to boost savory tastes in sauces and seasoning blends, and soy sauce and fish sauce to give both Asian and non-Asian foods umami taste. A bonus of many of these ingredients is that they help food manufacturers formulate craveable products with less sodium.

As manufacturers tweak formulas to reduce sodium, they need ingredients that help them to achieve their sodium-reduction targets without negatively affecting the taste of the finished product. That’s where an ingredient like Sensient Flavors’ SensaSalt 2G comes in. This “taste enhancement” solution works in tandem to create the perception of a full sodium experience, boosting positive flavor attributes while diminishing off-note flavors sometimes associated with sodium reductions, says Roger Lane, marketing manager, savory flavors, at Sensient Flavors. “That’s one of the great things about SensaSalt 2G and one of the reasons we use the term ‘taste enhancement.’ Many times, sodium reduction solutions like potassium chloride are effective in reducing sodium, but there are negative taste impacts like bitterness or other off-notes. Our product has no perceived off-notes and, in fact, actually outperforms sodium alone and enhances the positive flavor attributes of the product where it’s used.” What’s more, the ingredient has a label-friendly positioning because it can be labeled simply as “natural flavor,” adds Lane.

Another quality of the SensaSalt 2G that manufacturers may find appealing is its range of use in both wet and dry applications. Lane mentions that many sodium reduction solutions only work in either wet or dry applications, but SensaSalt 2G functions equally well in either format. Depending on the final application, the ingredient can reduce sodium by 25% to 40%. It’s been used in snack seasonings, savory sauces, soups, bakery products, and more.

The company also produces SensaSalt yeast extracts that contain high amounts of 5’ nucleotides that enhance flavors and reduce sodium levels by 33% to 50%, and Umami Natural flavor-enhancing seasoning blend of dehydrated vegetables that can boost flavor without adding salt.

Read the full article on IFT

Contact Us for more information on our taste modulation solutions, and how we can partner in boosting flavor!