4 options for reducing salt in bread

Salt is an essential ingredient in bread-making; it contributes to the structure and flavour of the bread, and is necessary for the yeast to work properly. Now a new study from the University of Illinois explores ways to reduce sodium in bread without sacrificing taste and leavening ability.

Sodium overconsumption has been a cause for concern in recent years. While we can’t completely eliminate salt from our diet as it is an essential nutrient, food manufacturers can help consumers reduce their consumption to a healthier level by reducing the salt in processed products, such as bread.

“About 70% of sodium in the US food supply comes from packaged and processed foods. And the top source is actually baked goods, so reducing salt in that particular category would help to reduce sodium consumption tremendously,” said study co-author Soo-Yeun Lee, professor of food science at U of I.

The researchers conducted an extensive review of academic literature on sodium reduction in bread. They identified four main categories:

1. Salt reduction without any further mitigation
2. Physical modification
3. Sodium replacements
4. Flavour enhancers

“The most basic method is just reducing the amount of salt in the product,” said Aubrey Dunteman, graduate student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at U of I, and lead author on the paper. “That can be good to a point, depending on the original level of salt and equivalent in the recipe. There’s always going to be a minimum amount of salt you need just to have the bread function and the yeast do its job. So it’s a limited method, but it can help to reduce high levels of sodium intake.”

University of Illinois food science professor Soo-Yeun Lee (left), and graduate student Aubrey Dunteman. Credit: College of ACES, University of Illinois.

Another method is physical modification, which involves uneven distribution of salt in the product.

“Sensory adaptation occurs when you have constant stimulus. If the salt is evenly distributed in a slice of bread, as you take more bites, it’s going to taste less salty, because you’re already adapted to the first few bites. But if you have different distribution of salt, alternating between densely and lightly salted layers, people will perceive it as more salty. So you can obtain the same taste effect with less salt,” Lee explains.

A third method involves replacement of sodium with other substances, such as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, or potassium chloride. “This is one of the most commonly used methods in industry, but it can only be used up to a certain point, before you get a bit of a metallic taste from these compounds,” Dunteman points out. 

The fourth method involves flavour modification with taste enhancers such as herbs and spices, or even monosodium glutamate (MSG). The researchers note multi-grain bread also allows for more salt reduction than white bread, because it has more flavour on its own.

Dunteman and Lee concluded that the best approach to sodium reduction in bread will be a combination of methods.

“One of the four categories, salt reduction, is technically involved in all of them,” Dunteman notes. “Another category, salt replacement, is already heavily studied. We recommend more research into physical modification methods, as well as flavour enhancement types, and how to combine each of these methods with salt reduction.”

The four methods are detailed in the researchers’ paper, published in the International Journal of Food Science and Technology.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/ Nander