Ham particle size influences saltiness perception in flans

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Sensory Science
• Consumer Behavior

Background:

• Reducing sodium content in processed foods is a major challenge for the food industry.
• Maintaining consumer acceptability and liking while lowering sodium requires innovative approaches.
• Limited research exists on complex food matrices regarding sodium reduction strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of particle size on salt perception and consumer liking in low-salt food products.
• To evaluate the effect of varying ham particle sizes on the sensory attributes of flans.
• To determine if particle size manipulation can aid in reducing sodium content without compromising consumer acceptance.

Main Methods:

• Developed flans with four levels of ham particle size, including a control.
• Formulated flans with both low- and high-salt concentrations.
• Utilized two consumer panels (107 and 77 subjects) to assess saltiness and overall liking.
• Analyzed the impact of ham particle size on perceived saltiness and product acceptance.

Main Results:

• The addition of ham to flans significantly increased salty taste perception.
• A reduction in ham particle size (i.e., using ground ham) led to increased perceived saltiness.
• Flans with reduced sodium content (over 15% reduction) were equally liked compared to high-salt versions.
• Consumer liking was maintained despite significant reductions in overall salt concentration.

Conclusions:

• Particle size is a critical, easily adjustable parameter in food processing for modulating salt perception.
• Manipulating the size of salt-contributing particles, like ham, offers a viable strategy for reducing sodium in complex food products.
• Food manufacturers can effectively reduce sodium content while maintaining consumer acceptability by controlling particle size.