Can sodium contents of foods be reduced by adding flavors? Studies with beef broth.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate what effect the addition of spicy/herbal flavoring (allspice, marjoram, onion) and monosodium glutamate would have on the preferred level of saltiness in beef broth. First, subjects (N = 34) were asked to prepare ad lib mixtures according to their own preference of pairs of unsalted and salted broths: each pair was flavored with varying combinations of the four flavorants. Regardless of the flavor combination, the subsequent chemical analysis of mixtures indicated identical contents of NaCl (mean value 1.1% for all four combinations). Second, subjects (N = 38) rated the pleasantness of broths with 0.5, 0.8, 1.1, 1.4, and 1.7% NaCl under three sets of conditions: unflavored, flavored with allspice, majoram, onion and monosodium glutamate, and flavored with glutamate only. All samples but the one with a NaCl content of 0.5% were rated equally pleasant; the latter was rated somewhat less pleasant. The results provide no support for the widely held belief that other flavors, e.g., spices or herbs, might compensate for lower saltiness of foods.

Pleasantness ratings and consumption of open sandwiches with varying NaCl and acid contents.

The objective was to compare taste-and-spit pleasantness ratings of open sandwiches to ratings after ad libitum consumption. In the latter test, open sandwiches were ingested one at a time at a laboratory breakfast. Three rye breads of different acid and NaCl concentrations (non-sour + normal NaCl, sour + low NaCl, sour + normal NaCl) were evaluated with butter or margarine with two levels of NaCl (1 or 2 per cent). Subjects (N = 27) rated the samples more pleasant after consumption than in taste-and-spit tests. Mean pleasantness ratings by sample in taste-and-spit and postconsumption tests correlated with the amount of bread consumed (r = 0.63, r = 0.82, respectively). The taste-and-spit ratings of individual subjects correlated poorly with the amount of bread consumed, only three correlation coefficients out of 27 being significant. Taste-and-spit pleasantness ratings can perhaps be used to predict the average consumption of a product but not consumption by individual subjects. The laboratory tests should be developed further to reflect better food acceptability in natural conditions.