Are foods naturally rich in glutamic acid an alternative to sodium reduction?

Abstract

Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) prevalence has been growing, hence the importance of studying food alternatives with reduced sodium content sensory well accepted. Develop culinary preparations reduced in sodium, with addition of glutamic acid-rich ingredients, and evaluate their sensory acceptance. Research about use of glutamic acid-rich ingredients in recipes was done. Recipes were developed, aiming good sensory acceptance; their salt content was estimated by using TACD and USDA's food composition table. They were later submitted to sensory analysis, in which was applied 9-point hedonic scale (global acceptance and flavor), and linear scale of 10 cm (salt intensity). Data was analyzed by ANDVA and Tukey Test (p < 0.05) with software FOZZ Biosystemes. Herbs pie samples with parmesan cheese had better acceptance and salt intensity was perceived as moderate. Bruschetta samples, with tomatoes, were well accepted regardless the presence of refined salt or herbs; and had a harmonious salt intensity perception. Salt intensity was considered adequate on chicken stroganoff samples while champignon mushrooms provided better global acceptance. All samples had 50-60% less salt than traditional recipes. Ongredients naturally rich in glutamic acid (parmesan cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms) are good for strategies of sodium content reduction in culinary preparations, without reduce sensorial acceptance.

Compendium of sodium reduction strategies in foods: A scoping review

“…Ingredients like tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese are high in natural glutamic acid and when added to foods have been shown to enhance the sensory properties by improving the meaty or umami flavor (F. F. dos Santos et al., 2020; S. Wang et al., 2019). Mushrooms are often studied in beef products.…”

Can umami taste be an adequate tool for reducing sodium in food preparations?

“…In the Santos et al. (2020) study, as for the flavour attribute, it was observed that herbs pie’s samples that had parmesan cheese, naturally rich in glutamic acid, were better accepted than those without it; and that the presence of parmesan cheese collaborated with the preparation’s sensorial balance, even when using less than 50% of traditional recipe’s salt content. Chefs who understand umami taste realised that umami keeps the palatability of dishes even though the concentration of salt is lower than usual (Ninomiya, 2015).…”

“…Previous studies like the one of Chinatsu Kasamatsu et al (2016) and Yamaguchi & Takahashi (1984) have shown that for several typical preparations of national preference, the use of a flavour enhancer, monosodium glutamate (MSG); an ingredient that provides umami, the 5th taste, used to decrease the amounts of salt in the food was a good alternative for reducing sodium and also maintaining the acceptance of the dish. Santos et al (2020) used the amino acid glutamate naturally present in foods to confer umami taste, with good results too, accordingly, the use of umami ingredients is a good alternative for executing strategies aiming to reduce salt content without reducing sensorial aspect's acceptance.…”

Edible Mushrooms as a Natural Source of Food Ingredient/Additive Replacer

“…The product where salt was partially replaced with mushroom received similar overall liking scores to its all-meat, full sodium counterpart. Recently, dos Santos et al [87] reported that the glutamic acid from champignon mushroom was able to substitute the use of salt in a culinary preparation of chicken stroganoff during its preparation, allowing a higher than 50% reduction of NaCl and a good sensorial acceptance. Several works of Cerón-Guevara et al [44][45][46] were successful in the replacement of 50% of salt by Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus in meat products.…”