Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar;86(3):1022-1032.
doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.15634. Epub 2021 Feb 21.

Effect of the food matrix on the capacity of flavor enhancers in intensifying salty taste

Renata Abadia Reis Rocha  1 , Lenízy Cristina Reis Rocha  1 , Michele Nayara Ribeiro  1 , Ana Paula Lima Ribeiro  1 , Roney Alves da Rocha  1 , João de Deus Souza Carneiro  1
Affiliations

Effect of the food matrix on the capacity of flavor enhancers in intensifying salty taste

Renata Abadia Reis Rocha et al. J Food Sci. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

The effect of the flavor enhancers monoammonium glutamate (MAG), monosodium glutamate (MSG), disodium guanylate (GMP), and disodium inosinate (IMP) on intensifying salty taste in food matrices (shoestring potatoes, requeijão cheese, and beef burgers) with a reduction in the amount of sodium chloride (NaCl) present was evaluated. Experiments were conducted using a central composite rotational design with two variables: the concentrations of flavor enhancer and NaCl added in the food matrix. The effect of IMP was not significant (P > 0.05) on the intensity of salty taste in any of the matrices analyzed. GMP presented lower performance compared to MAG and MSG in intensifying the salty taste of the treatments, regardless of the reduction of NaCl. Compared to MSG and GMP, MAG showed greater efficiency in intensifying the salty taste in requeijão cheese and beef burger with a reduction of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of NaCl. MSG presented higher efficiency compared to MAG and GMP when applied in shoestring potatoes for all reductions of NaCl tested (25%, 50%, and 75%). The ability of flavor enhancers to improve the salty taste depends on the effect of the flavor enhancer, the complexity of the food matrix, and the reduction of NaCl in foods. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The complexity of the food matrix plays a significant role in the perception of salty taste in sodium-reduced products. In these products, sodium reduction may affect the taste enhancer's effect of enhancing salty taste. Therefore, this study broadens the knowledge of the effects of flavor enhancers on different foods, as well as the ability to enhance salty taste in food matrices with NaCl reduction. Moreover, it provides information on how to reduce the sodium content in these matrices while maintaining the same perception of salty taste as a conventional matrix.

Keywords: disodium guanylate; disodium inosinate; monoammonium glutamate; monosodium glutamate; sodium.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

REFERENCES

    1. Amerine, M. A., Pangborn, R. M., & Roessle, R. E. B. (1965). Principles of sensory evaluation of food (1st ed.). In M. Anson, E. M. Mrak, & C. O. Chichester (Eds.). New York: Academic Press.
    1. Chabanet, C., Tarrega, A., Septier, C., Siret, F., & Salles, C. (2013). Fat and salt contents affect the in-mouth temporal sodium release and saltiness perception of chicken sausages. Meat Science, 94(2), 253-261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2012.09.023
    1. Chaudhari, N., & Roper, S. D. (2010). The cell biology of taste. Journal of Cell Biology, 190(3), 285-296. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201003144
    1. Damásio, M. H., & Costell, E. (1991). Análisis sensorial descriptivo: generación dedescriptores y selección de catadores. Revista Agroquímica de Tecnologia de Alimentos, 3, 165-178.
    1. Gaudette, N. J., & Pietrasik, Z. (2017). The sensory impact of salt replacers and flavor enhancer in reduced sodium processed meats is matrix dependent. Journal of Sensory Studies, 32(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12247

LinkOut - more resources