Salt is essential for preservation, flavor enhancement, food structure and other necessary functions. In the food manufacturing world, it is one of the least expensive and most necessary ingredients. However, high sodium intake increases blood pressure, and hypertension is one of the primary causes of cardiovascular disease. 

A recent consumer survey showed that over 90% of consumers state that overconsumption of sodium is a problem, though only 34% of consumers know that potassium salt can replace sodium salt to reduce sodium in food.  When presented with the option of using potassium salt to reduce sodium, 82% of consumers prefer potassium salt over sodium.  So how do manufacturers go about swapping the salt?

The simple salt swap – the case for potassium salt

More than 70% of total sodium intake in the US is from salt added during manufacturing and in restaurant food. The 2020-25 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that the daily intake of sodium for adults and children over 14 should be no more than 2,300mg per day. 

In the past decade, there have been many mandatory and voluntary public policy efforts to work with manufacturers and consumers to reduce sodium in food products.  More than 100 countries have active regulations to reduce sodium, and all 194 World Health Organization Member States have committed to reducing population sodium intake by 30% by 2030. There is progress being made, not only in product reformulation, but also through public awareness and ongoing educational campaigns, labelling requirements, and voluntary and mandatory sodium reduction targets. 

While those methods are a step in the right direction, there is another way to make food healthier without removing the flavor or functionality of salt, and that is by replacing some or all of the sodium salt with potassium salt. 

One of the largest-scale studies performed to test the effects of balancing sodium and potassium in salt was undertaken in rural China and gives the best indication of the benefits of the ‘Simple Salt Swap’. The study undertaken by the George Institute, which was held in 600 rural Chinese villages in five provinces and involved 20,000 participants who had a history of stroke or were over 60 years old with high blood pressure, took place over a five-year period. The results of the study found that replacing sodium salt with a balanced salt of sodium and potassium, significantly lowered the risk of stroke, heart disease and death. 

Another similar study by the George Institute was also done in rural India. Nearly 500 participants were randomly given either regular salt or a salt blended with 30% potassium salt. After three months, the group with the salt that contained 30% potassium salt showed a substantial reduction in systolic blood pressure of hypertensive patients similar to the positive impact of hypertension medicine. 

The results of both studies show strong support for potassium salt being an effective, low-cost solution to reducing sodium and lowering blood pressure. While there are concerns with how far manufacturers can reduce sodium without causing flavor or function loss, adding potassium salt, which has the same traits as salt but without the sodium, is the best solution. 

Potassium salt has been around for a long time indeed and has proven to provide the same functionality as salt across many food categories. As times have changed and consumers and public policy have demanded greater reductions of sodium, potassium salt has become an ingredient of choice in many food R&D kits. 

Potassium salt can be used as a salt substitute in many food categories including bakery, meat, sauces, snacks and beverages.  It is highly functional as it relates to proofing time, dough rheology, preservation and curing in meats.  However, potassium salt use can be limited due to bitter, metallic off-flavors at higher usage rates.  Flavor modulators and bitter blockers can be used, though these can add significant cost and complexity to the ingredient statement.  NuTek’s proprietary washing and drying process eliminates the need for flavor modulators to reduce bitterness, enabling great tasting products with consumer-friendly labels and up to 50% reductions in sodium. Extensive third party sensory studies validate consumer acceptance of NuTek’s value-added solutions in a broad spectrum of food applications, with respect to flavor and product quality.  NuTek’s solutions have a range of labeling options including ‘potassium salt’, ‘sea salt’ and ‘mineral salt.’  

“These cost-effective solutions deliver a healthier nutrition balance, while delivering the same great taste and functionality as regular salt,” commented Steve Zimmerman, Senior Director Technical Sales, NuTek Natural Ingredients. 

NuTek offers several sodium reduction options under the brand names Salt for Life and Beyond Salt including culinary salt options such as Beyond Sea Salt and Beyond Himalayan.   

Natural flavors for sodium reduction

Natural flavors can also be used as a salt replacer.   NuTek also produces plant-based, natural flavor solutions created through age-old fermentation and cooking techniques.  NuSavor natural flavor solutions deliver umami taste and help to increase salty flavor perception with 85% less sodium than standard salt. The NuSavor natural flavor solutions contain 85% less sodium than salt and are typically used at 0.5 – 1.0% of the formula weight. It is a dry powder, making it compatible for use in a range of production processes.  Natural flavors are not a salt, therefore it will not replace salt’s functionality beyond flavor enhancement.  When salt’s functionality is needed, potassium salt-based solutions can be used synergistically with natural flavors. 

In trained sensory panels, NuSavor natural flavor solutions significantly increase umami, mouthfullness, and saltiness in seasoning blends, soups, and plant-based proteins.  Trained sensory panel data also show the umami solution significantly mutes beany, grainy cereal and cardboard off-flavors commonly associated with plant-based proteins. 

Choosing the best partner 

As one of the pioneers in the sodium reduction space, NuTek Natural Ingredients is a great partner to food and beverage manufacturers in their new product development and reformulation projects.  The technical sales and R&D team at NuTek works with customers to meet the individual requirements of the product and also the support in key areas of formulation, process and sensory work. 

To learn more and review our complete portfolio, visit our website www.nuteknatural.com or email us at info@nuteknatural.com.