Singling Out Salt

Mintel research posits sodium as “the next trans fat,” and it’s probably an apt comparison on a number of levels: It’s been proven that consuming high levels of sodium is bad―for a significant number of people, if not all of us. And from a food-science perspective, replacing sodium can be difficult, not just from a flavor perspective, but in terms of functionality as well.

By itself, flavor is a tough one. We humans love our salt: I’m sure I’m not the only one who indulges in the occasional pinch of cast-off salt at the bottom of the pretzel bag. But it’s possible to wean ourselves off the habit and grow accustomed to lower salt levels as the norm. And quite a few things taste better without hiding behind a salt lick. Others―cue the pretzel―never will.

Cost is always an issue. If I remember correctly, plain ol’ granulated salt is the second-cheapest ingredient available (water being the cheapest). Merely taking it out will cause the total ingredient cost to rise. Add an ingredient as a replacement and the cost of the formulation goes up even more. These may only be fractions of a penny, but it’s an undeniable phenomenon, kind of like gravity.

Like trans, add the physio- chemical properties, and the problem of salt replacement can pose a challenge. Baked good and meat are two industries that rely on salt and sodium-based functional ingredients. Again, many acceptable substitutes can be found, but the process of replacing ingredients and obtaining the same outcome is not merely a matter of “taking out the salt.”

Lastly, we need to learn something from our saturate to trans transition―sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.

There are many valid reasons to reduce our dependence on sodium, but in the complex world of food product design, low salt or low sodium is not always going to be simple.

   -Lynn A. Kuntz