Taste and nutrition firm Kerry Group has developed a new low-sodium solution that it claims delivers on salt and its rich, savoury taste.
Tastesense Salt retains the essential flavour properties and replicates the impact, body and aftertaste of salt, Kerry Group added.
The product is available as a singular solution for salted crisps, as well as part of more complex snack-seasoning formulations.
Tastesense Salt is supported by fundamental science that links taste receptors with proprietary product chemistry, salt morphology, proteolysis and fermentation, Kerry Group noted.
“Salt reduction isn’t just an immediate brand imperative, it’s a humanity imperative and essential to creating a world of sustainable nutrition,” said Hugo Leclercq, global portfolio director for Taste Fermentation – Sodium Reduction at Kerry Group.
“We are lowering sodium far beyond what anyone thought possible with our innovative Tastesense Salt solutions while maintaining delicious flavour. With these market-leading solutions, we hope to empower customers with the knowledge and capabilities to meet consumer demands for reduced sodium across the snacking category.”
Salt Reduction
Savoury snacks are ranked within the top five food categories being targeted by World Health Organisation (WHO) members for salt reduction, according to its report on sodium levels.
While the global WHO benchmark for snacks is 500mg per 100 grams in potato-based chips, with pretzels higher in sodium, at 720mg per 100 grams, many markets exceed those levels, Kerry group noted.
Achieving sodium reductions around levels of 40% or more without losing the salty flavour of the snack poses a challenge for manufacturers.
Kerry added that while small percentage reductions of up to 10% can be achieved by stealth reformulation, the starting point is relevant.
For example, going from 700mg to 630mg of salt may be easier to achieve than going from 500mg to 450mg, with the flavour tonality of the snack being a critical factor.
The company added that its understanding of salt interaction in snack-seasoning formulations allows it to push the boundaries in sodium reduction, achieving results of more than 60% in some applications.
Kerry created the Sodium Reduction Simulator to demonstrate the challenges in sodium reduction for savoury snacks.
The simulator assesses overall, upfront, middle and lingering taste challenges, depending on the flavour profile and the desired sodium content.
