Flavoring of sea salt with Mediterranean aromatic plants affects salty taste perception

BACKGROUND

Salt (sodium chloride) is an essential component of daily food, crucial for many physiological processes. Due to health risks related to salt over consumption, considerable interest is devoted to strategies to reduce dietary salt intake. In this work we evaluated the sensory dimensions of sea salts flavored with Mediterranean aromatic plants with the aim to confirm the role of herbs/spices in the enhancement of salty perception and to validate the use of flavored salts as a strategy to reduce salt intake. To this goal we compared taste dimensions (pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity) of solutions obtained with salt and sea salts flavored with Mediterranean herbs, spices, and fruits. Sensorial differences were analyzed using a seven-point hedonic Likert-type scale on 58 non-trained judges.

RESULTS

Main flavor compounds, identified by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection-mass spectrometry (GC-FID-MS) analysis, were α-pinene and 1,8-cineole in myrtle salt (FS 1), verbenone, α-pinene, 1,8-cineole, and rosifoliol in herbs/plants salt (FS 2), and limonene in orange fruits/saffron salt (FS 3). At the dose of 0.04 g mL^-1 , saline solutions obtained with flavored salt (containing approximately 6-30% less sodium chloride) were perceived as more intense, less familiar, but equally pleasant than pure salt solution. In particular, sea salt flavored with orange fruits/saffron emerged as the most interesting in potentiating saltiness perception.

CONCLUSION

Our study confirmed the important role of Mediterranean aromatic plants in the enhancement of saltiness perception and qualified the use of flavored sea salt during food preparation/cooking instead of normal salt as a potential strategy to reduce the daily salt intake. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

The enrichment of honey with Aronia melanocarpa fruits enhances its in vitro and in vivo antioxidant potential and intensifies its antibacterial and antiviral properties

The effect of adding the chokeberry fruit additive to rape honey was studied with regard to the physicochemical properties and biological activity. Two samples of dried powdered fruits were used to enrich the honey (1 and 4% v/v) during creaming. The obtained products were characterized in terms of sugar content, acidity, conductivity, total phenolic, flavonoid and anthocyanin contents and HPTLC polyphenol profiles. The antioxidant properties of enriched honeys were studied in vitro (FRAP, DPPH, and ABTS) and in vivo using a S. cerevisiae model. The inhibitory effect against 5 bacterial strains and coronavirus surrogate bacteriophage phi6 was tested. The addition of chokeberry significantly modified the physicochemical properties of honey and enhanced its antioxidant potential (from 3 to 15 times). Using HPTLC analysis, the occurrence of flavonoids, phenolic acids, and anthocyanins in chokeberry enriched honey was determined. The modified honey protected yeast cells against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress when used as a pretreatment agent. All tested bacteria were susceptible to enriched honey in a dose-dependent manner. The antiviral potential of enriched honey against the model bacteriophage was discovered for the first time. In terms of numerous health benefits determined, honey enriched with Aronia melanocarpa fruits can be considered as an interesting novel functional food, which may increase the consumption of chokeberry superfruits.

Consumer behaviour of young generation in slovakia towards cocoa-enriched honey

The new trend of healthy lifestyle increases consumers´ attention towards superfoods or functional food. Due to this fact, honey enriched with various healthy foods such as cocoa, cinnamon, ginger or dried fruits has started to appear on the European market. The aim of this research paper was to investigate consumer´s perception and preferences for cocoa-enriched honey. Consumer research was based on questionnaire survey extended by product testing. This survey was conducted in 2018 (February and March) and in total 257 young Slovak consumers between 18 - 30 years participated. Each respondent tested and evaluated sensory attributes of the product (taste, aroma, colour and texture) using a 5-point scale. Statistical analyses included Friedman test, Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher's Exact Test, Pearson Chi-square test and Cramer'V coefficient. Results showed that the cocoa-enriched honey was evaluated as tasty, aromatic, gently, delicious, special, with ideal sweetness and amount of cocoa. All sensory attributes were evaluated positively (2 - good). Females were more interested in the purchase of this product. Moreover, the product would be purchased mostly by respondents who consider it a healthier alternative to commercial chocolate spreads or by those who consider their eating habits healthy. Laboratory tests revealed that the antioxidant activity of the product was higher in comparison to normal honey. In conclusion, the obtained information could be used in product positioning, promotion and designing appropriate marketing strategy.