Carnauba wax utilization in salt encapsulation: application in bread.

The present work aims to develop encapsulated NaCl in carnauba wax for bread application, to reduce the salt utilization and assess its impacts on the rheological dough parameters and saltiness perception. Encapsulated salt was obtained blending salt crystals and molten Carnauba wax. Four different bread formulations were produced: 2.0% non-encapsulated salt; 2.0% Encapsulated Salt; 1.5% Encapsulated Salt; 1.0% Encapsulated Salt. Farinograph and alveograph analyses were performed to assess the dough rheology parameters and sensory analysis was conducted to evaluate saltiness. Encapsulation was effective to control Na+ ions release. They vary from 17 to 32 ppm the dissolution of sodium ions in the non-encapsulated and encapsulated samples, respectively. The alveograph and farinograph analyses showed that the 1.5E bread formulation was the closest to the control sample in rheological properties. Finally, a sensory analysis showed no difference in the saltiness perception between control and 1.5% encapsulated salt (4.65 and 4.69 respectively), indicating that carnauba wax encapsulated salt effectively reduced until 35% of salt the bread without changing the saltiness.

Implementing effective salt reduction programs and policies in low- and middle-income countries: learning from retrospective policy analysis in Argentina, Mongolia, South Africa and Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the factors influencing the implementation of salt reduction interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). DESIGN: Retrospective policy analysis based on desk reviews of existing reports and semi-structured stakeholder interviews in four countries, using Walt and Gilson's 'Health Policy Triangle' to assess the role of context, content, process and actors on the implementation of salt policy. SETTING: Argentina, Mongolia, South Africa and Vietnam. PARTICIPANTS: Representatives from government, non-government, health, research and food industry organisations with the potential to influence salt reduction programmes. RESULTS: Global targets and regional consultations were viewed as important drivers of salt reduction interventions in Mongolia and Vietnam in contrast to local research and advocacy, and support from international experts, in Argentina and South Africa. All countries had population-level targets and written strategies with multiple interventions to reduce salt consumption. Engaging industry to reduce salt in foods was a priority in all countries: Mongolia and Vietnam were establishing voluntary programs, while Argentina and South Africa opted for legislation on salt levels in foods. Ministries of Health, the WHO and researchers were identified as critical players in all countries. Lack of funding and technical capacity/support, absence of reliable local data and changes in leadership were identified as barriers to effective implementation. No country had a comprehensive approach to surveillance or regulation for labelling, and mixed views were expressed about the potential benefits of low sodium salts. CONCLUSIONS: Effective scale-up of salt reduction programs in LMIC requires: (1) reliable local data about the main sources of salt; (2) collaborative multi-sectoral implementation; (3) stronger government leadership and regulatory processes and (4) adequate resources for implementation and monitoring.

The Jamaica Salt Consumption Study Protocol: Sodium Intake; Sodium Content in Restaurant Foods; Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices; Spot Urine Sodium Validation.

Background: Excess dietary salt consumption is a major contributor to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Public education programs on the dangers of high salt intake, and population level interventions to reduce the salt content in foods are possible strategies to address this problem. In Jamaica, there are limited data on the levels of salt consumption and the population's knowledge and practices with regards to salt consumption. This study therefore aims to obtain baseline data on salt consumption, salt content in foods sold in restaurants, and evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Jamaicans regarding salt consumption. Methods: The study is divided into four components. Component 1 will be a secondary analysis of data on urinary sodium from spot urine samples collected as part of a national survey, the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey 2016-2017. Component 2 will be a survey of chain and non-chain restaurants in Jamaica, to estimate the sodium content of foods sold in restaurants. Component 3 is another national survey, this time on a sample 1,200 individuals to obtain data on knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding salt consumption and estimation of urinary sodium excretion. Component 4 is a validation study to assess the level of agreement between spot urine sodium estimates and 24-hour urinary sodium from 120 individuals from Component 3. Discussion: This study will provide important baseline data on salt consumption in Jamaica and will fulfil the first components of the World Health Organization SHAKE Technical Package for Salt Reduction. The findings will serve as a guide to Jamaica's Ministry of Health and Wellness in the development of a national salt reduction program. Findings will also inform interventions to promote individual and population level sodium reduction strategies as the country seeks to achieve the national target of a 30% reduction in salt consumption by 2025.

Enrichment of NaCl-reduced burger with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids: Effects on physicochemical, technological, nutritional, and sensory characteristics.

This study aimed to determine the effect of NaCl reduction and addition of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on the quality traits of burgers. Fish oil was either directly incorporated or added as encapsulated by freeze-dried microparticles (complex coacervates) composed of soy protein isolate and inulin. Despite the differences in some parameters associated with NaCl reduction (e.g., instrumental hardness), the quality of the burgers was mainly affected by the microparticles. Thus, a decrease in pH and increase in hardness and chewiness were observed, and a higher exposure of fish oil to oxidation was observed thus increasing volatile oxidation compounds and negatively impacting on the sensory profile and overall liking of the burgers. However, the encapsulation of the fish oil helped to retain EPA and DHA after cooking. The results of the NaCl-reduced burger with unencapsulated fish oil suggest the possibility of incorporating PUFAs, but only containing EPA after cooking.

Household Cooking and Eating out: Food Practices and Perceptions of Salt/Sodium Consumption in Costa Rica.

This research aims to study the food practices and perceptions related to excessive consumption of salt/sodium when cooking and eating outside the home in a study population representing the wide intergenerational and sociocultural diversity of Costa Rica. Key communities from around the country, cultural experts, and key informants were selected. Four qualitative research techniques were applied. Data was systematized based on the Social Ecological Model. Women are generally in charge of cooking and family food purchases. Salt is perceived as a basic ingredient, used in small amounts that can be reduced-but not eliminated-when cooking. Changes in food preparations and emotions associated with the consumption of homemade food with salt were identified. The population likes to eat out, where the establishments selected depend mainly on age group and income. Beyond cultural and geographical differences, age aspects are suggested as being the main differentiators, in terms of use of salt, seasonings, and condiments in the preparation of food at home, the recipes prepared, and the selection of establishments in which to eat out. The deeply rooted values and meanings associated with salt in food indicate that the implementation of salt reduction strategies in Costa Rica is challenging.

Modification of NaCl structure as a sodium reduction strategy in meat products: An overview.

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is an indispensable ingredient in meat products, but the consumption of high doses of sodium contained in their formulations may bring about negative health implications. The replacement of NaCl by other salts in meat products has been a technological challenge. Accordingly, this review highlights the importance of NaCl over other sodium and non­sodium salts in the saltiness perception and proposes the use of reduced-size and shapes of NaCl to maximize saltiness perception, while using less NaCl dosages in meat products. However, the effect of matrix components (water, proteins and fats) on the final salty taste is of special consideration. To counteract the effect of the matrix components, two main routes of incorporation of different NaCl types in meat products are discussed: encapsulation and protection of NaCl by the hydrophobic component of the meat product. Given the limited number of publications using this potential strategy, more studies on the application of these technological strategies are required.

Sodium and salt content of Portuguese rolls produced in a city of southern Brazil: a comparison of laboratory analysis, food labelling and nutrition standards.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the Na content of bread by comparing the amount of salt and Na among the label, laboratory analysis and international guidelines. DESIGN: Ten selected bakeries provided 3239 randomly selected samples of bread, which were weighed on-site. Triplicate samples were retrieved from each bakery (thirty samples) for analysis. Bread production was observed, and ingredient labels were queried to determine salt weights, which were used for comparison with the laboratory analysis. Flame photometry and the method for chlorides were utilised for analysing Na. Laboratory findings were compared to nine different international nutritional guidelines for Na consumption. SETTING: Florianopolis, south of Brazil. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety independent bakeries locally producing Portuguese rolls were queried; rolls from ten conveniently selected bakeries were retrieved for further analysis. RESULTS: The average weight of the rolls was 50·2 ± 5·3 g. The average amount of salt (g) per roll, by laboratory and label analyses, was 0·69 ± 0·0 and 0·62 ± 0·1 g, respectively. The mean level of Na (mg) reported on nutrient labels (478·2 ± 93·4/100 g) was significantly lower than by laboratory analysis (618·2 ± 73·8/100 g), P < 0·001. There was a difference for Na in rolls produced in the bakeries considering the unit weight of rolls (P ≤ 0·001) per 100 g (P = 0·026) and the mode of production. The consumption of two averaged units of rolls was equivalent to 51·7 % of the Brazilian guideline daily amount for Na for children and 31 % for adults. CONCLUSIONS: The nutrient labels underreported Na values. This study strengthens the importance of monitoring Na of breads in Brazil.

Using dynamic sensory techniques to determine drivers of liking in sodium and fat-reduced Bologna sausage containing functional emulsion gels.

Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) and Temporal Check-all-that-apply (TCATA) are fast and dynamic descriptive techniques for sensory characterization of food. The temporal perception involved during the consumption of reformulated meat products are rarely considered and, in this context, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of salt and fat reduction on Bologna sausage with addition of emulsion gel in the dynamic sensorial perception by using TDS and TCATA methods considering overall liking. After the dynamic sensory characterization tasks, consumers rated their liking using a 9-point hedonic scale. The findings showed that fat and salt reduction, and the addition of emulsion gels as fat replacers affected the sensory characteristics of the Bologna sausages. Regarding the methods, both studies collected the variations between samples with a great correlation between data. The TDS and TCATA curves revealed that texture attributes (firm and soft) were dominant at the beginning of the evaluation for all samples. TCATA also showed that juicy was dominant in the first 15 s of eating period. Related to overall liking, control sample (2% salt and 20% pork back fat) presented the highest scores (7.25 for TDS and 7.24 for TCATA) and Bolognas sausages with emulsion gels and reduced in salt were less accepted (4.95 for TDS and 5.86 for TCATA). Bologna flavor was the major attribute related to liking and fat flavor the main driver of disliking. Results from the present work suggest that dynamic sensorial methods are effective tools to characterize reformulated meat products.

A Systematic Review of the Sources of Dietary Salt Around the World.

Excess salt intake contributes to hypertension and increased cardiovascular disease risk. Efforts to implement effective salt-reduction strategies require accurate data on the sources of salt consumption. We therefore performed a systematic review to identify the sources of dietary salt around the world. We systematically searched peer-reviewed and gray literature databases for studies that quantified discretionary (salt added during cooking or at the table) and nondiscretionary sources of salt and those that provided information about the food groups contributing to dietary salt intake. Exploratory linear regression analysis was also conducted to assess whether the proportion of discretionary salt intake is related to the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of a country. We identified 80 studies conducted in 34 countries between 1975 and 2018. The majority (n = 44, 55%) collected data on dietary salt sources within the past 10 y and were deemed to have a low or moderate risk of bias (n = 75, 94%). Thirty-two (40%) studies were judged to be nationally representative. Populations in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Guatemala, India, Japan, Mozambique, and Romania received more than half of their daily salt intake from discretionary sources. A significant inverse correlation between discretionary salt intake and a country's per capita GDP was observed (P < 0.0001), such that for every $10,000 increase in per capita GDP, the amount of salt obtained from discretionary sources was lower by 8.7% (95% CI: 5.1%, 12%). Bread products, cereal and grains, meat products, and dairy products were the major contributors to dietary salt intake in most populations. There is marked variation in discretionary salt use around the world that is highly correlated with the level of economic development. Our findings have important implications for the type of salt-reduction strategy likely to be effective in a country.

The effect of specialty salts on cooking loss, texture properties, and instrumental color of beef emulsion modeling systems.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional properties of specialty salts when incorporated into formulations of meat emulsions. Beef emulsion modeling systems were formulated with three types of specialty NaCl salts or a commercially sourced white NaCl salt at three different inclusion levels (0.70%, 1.00%, and 1.30%). Cooking loss, emulsion stability, proximate composition, pH, texture profile, and instrumental color of the emulsions were evaluated with three independent replications. Emulsion stability and cooking loss were primarily affected (P < 0.01) by salt inclusion level, while salt type was not affected (P > 0.12). Stability increased and cooking loss decreased as salt inclusion level increased (linear P < 0.01). Hardness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness of emulsions increased as salt inclusion level increased for all the treatments and were greatest (P < 0.0001) in all treatments at 1.30% salt inclusion level. Overall salt inclusion level, rather than salt type, had significant effects on water holding ability and emulsion stability.

Consumer sensory and hedonic perception of sheep meat coppa under blind and informed conditions.

The development of air-dried cured sheep meat products represents an interesting option to add value to the meat of adult animals. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate consumer sensory and hedonic perception of sheep meat coppa, an innovative product. Four sheep meat coppa samples were formulated by varying smoking (smoked vs. non-smoked) and salt content (4.5% vs. 3.4%), and compared with two commercial samples of regular pork meat coppa. Samples were evaluated under blind or informed conditions by 202 consumers, who had to rate their liking and to answer a check-all-that-apply question. Sheep and pork meat coppa samples did not largely differ in their overall liking in both experimental conditions. Smoking and high salt content significantly increased consumers' hedonic perception of sheep meat coppa. The information included in the labels did not modify consumer hedonic perception but influenced their sensory description, particularly for the terms related to the type of meat used in their manufacture. Results indicate positive market opportunities for sheep meat coppa in the Brazilian market.

Alternatives to reduce sodium in processed foods and the potential of high pressure technology

In most industrialized countries, the sodium intake exceeds the nutritional recommendations. In this sense the search for healthier foods has led the food industry to review their formulations in relation to food components such as salt, which is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. As a result, different strategies for reducing salt levels in processed foods have been investigated. Among the technological options available, the high-pressure processing has stood out by presenting intrinsic technological advantages that can contribute to optimization of food formulations with low / reduced sodium contents. This review provides a brief overview of the key strategies and use of high pressure in the development of reduced-salt products.(AU)

Reducing salt in bread: a quasi-experimental feasibility study in a bakery in Lima, Peru.

OBJECTIVES: To explore salt content in bread and to evaluate the feasibility of reducing salt contained in 'pan francés' bread. DESIGN: The study had two phases. Phase 1, an exploratory phase, involved the estimation of salt contained in bread as well as a triangle taste test to establish the amount of salt to be reduced in 'pan francés' bread without detection by consumers. In Phase 2, a quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention study assessed the effects of the introduction of low-salt bread on bakery sales. SETTING: A municipal bakery in Miraflores, Lima, Peru. SUBJECTS: Sixty-five clients of the bakery in Phase 1 of the study; sales to usual costumers in Phase 2. RESULTS: On average, there was 1·25 g of salt per 100 g of bread. Sixty-five consumers were enrolled in the triangle taste test: fifty-four (83·1 %) females, mean age 58·9 (sd 13·7) years. Based on taste, bread samples prepared with salt reductions of 10 % (P=0·82) and 20 % (P=0·37) were not discernible from regular bread. The introduction of bread with 20 % of salt reduction, which contained 1 g of salt per 100 g of bread, did not change sales of 'pan francés' (P=0·70) or other types of bread (P=0·36). Results were consistent when using different statistical techniques. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of bread with a 20 % reduction in salt is feasible without affecting taste or bakery sales. Results suggest that these interventions are easily implementable, with the potential to contribute to larger sodium reduction strategies impacting the population's cardiovascular health.

Partial sodium replacement in tilapia steak without loss of acceptability.

The aim of this study was to evaluate physical and sensory characteristics of low-sodium tilapia steaks restructured with microbial transglutaminase. Polyphosphate (0.4%), condiment mixes-onion powder and garlic powder (2.5%), water (10.0%), transglutaminase (1.0%), and different types of salts (1.5%) were mixed with non-commercial sized fillets. Substitution of NaCl by KCl or MgCl2 (at 50% each) affected quality attributes and decreased (P < 0.05) consumer acceptability. The tri-salt steaks (KCl, MgCl2, and NaCl at 1:1:2 ratio) improved some attributes and increased (P < 0.05) acceptability and purchase intention. We conclude that potassium and magnesium chlorides are possible replacers of salt (NaCl) in restructured tilapia steaks and potentially decrease the risk factor for heart failure associated with high sodium consumption.