Salt technology

Givaudan has developed a technology that will help food manufacturers address the issue of high salt levels in processed foods.

As part of its TasteSolutions program, Givaudan has developed an extensive portfolio of building blocks and ingredients to help its flavourists enhance salt perception in low sodium applications.

Givaudan has invested in sensory validation techniques to prove and measure flavour performance and is developing a salt curve: a visual representation of the taste effects of sodium chloride over time. The taste impact of salt is broken down into a number of phases: first delivering a distinctive initial mineral ‘bite’, then a ‘body’ or ‘mouthfeel’ phase, followed by a characteristic clean, lingering profile.

Rather than trying to replace salt, Givaudan looks first to understand its taste functionality in the user’s application. Then a flavour is created which builds back those important taste aspects of the salt curve needed to drive consumer preference when sodium levels are reduced.

Taste is a very complex area to work in and reducing sodium provides several technical challenges. Close collaboration between Givaudan’s Application and Sensory scientists ensures that Givaudan has a complete understanding of the flavour and food matrix interactions.

This deep knowledge of food science and sensory validation has enabled Givaudan’s flavourists to develop solutions for customers’ products from soups and sauces, to snacks and meat, as well as for cereals and bakery.

Givaudan tailors solutions to meet regulatory and cost constraints, including natural flavours which can also be allergen and MSG free or kosher and halal, if required. Givaudan has technology which enables it to develop flavours that do not rely on the use of potassium chloride, if the user prefers not to use it.