The salt and lipid composition of model cheeses modifies in-mouth flavour release and perception related to the free sodium ion content

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 145; no. 2014; pp. 437 - 444
• Main Authors: Boisard, Lauriane, Andriot, Isabelle, Martin, Christophe, Septier, Chantal, Boissard, Vanessa, Salles, Christian, Guichard, Elisabeth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.02.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: 23Na NMR; Biological and medical sciences; Cations, Monovalent - analysis; Cheese - analysis; cheeses; Female; firmness; Flavour perception; Food Analysis - methods; Food and Nutrition; Food toxicology; foods; Free sodium ion; hardness; Humans; In-mouth sodium release; ingredients; Life Sciences; lipid content; Lipid/protein ratio; Lipids - analysis; Male; Medical sciences; Milk Proteins - analysis; Model cheese; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; odors; Perception; Salt content; saltiness; sodium; Sodium - analysis; sodium chloride; Sodium Chloride, Dietary - analysis; Taste; Texture; Toxicology; Free sodium ion; Salt content; In-mouth sodium release; Model cheese; Lipid/protein ratio; Flavour perception; Texture; 23Na NMR; Na NMR; Lipids; Protein; Oral cavity; Salt; Sodium; Content; Sodium ion; Perception; Models; Ratio; Release
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.08.049

•Model cheese composition affects sodium mobility and free sodium amount.•A lower lipid/protein ratio increased firmness, decreased sodium ions mobility.•A lower lipid/protein ratio decreased in vivo sodium release and saltiness. Reducing salt and lipid levels in foodstuffs without any effect on acceptability is a major challenge, particularly because of their interactions with other ingredients. This study used a multimodal approach to understand the effects of changes to the composition of model cheeses (20/28, 24/24, 28/20 lipid/protein ratios, 0% and 1% added NaCl) on sodium ion mobility (23Na NMR), in-mouth sodium release and flavour perception. An increase in the salt content decreased cheese firmness and perceived hardness, and increased sodium ion mobility, in vivo sodium release and both saltiness and aroma perception. With the same amount of salt, a lower lipid/protein ratio increased the firmness of the cheeses, perceived hardness, and decreased sodium ion mobility, in vivo sodium release, saltiness and aroma perception. These findings suggest on one hand that it could be possible to increase saltiness perception by varying cheese composition, thus inducing differences in sodium ion mobility and in free sodium ion concentration, leading to differences in in-mouth sodium release and saltiness perception, and on the other hand that the reformulation of foods in line with health guidelines needs to take account of both salt content and the lipid/protein ratio.