Salt reduction in sheeted dough: A successful technological approach.

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Materials Science
• Rheology

Background:

• Reducing sodium content in processed foods is a significant challenge for the food industry, requiring maintenance of product quality attributes.
• Maintaining shelf life, stability, and consumer acceptability while lowering salt levels necessitates innovative processing strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement processing adjustments for reducing salt content in sheeted dough.
• To maintain dough machinability and enhance saltiness perception through strategic salt distribution.
• To investigate the impact of encapsulated salt on dough rheology and salt dissolution.

Main Methods:

• Implementing a processing adjustment involving the homogeneous distribution of encapsulated salt grains during dough lamination.
• Utilizing a texture analyzer to measure dough resistance to extension and final strain during sheeting.
• Employing RX micro-tomography to visualize salt dissolution and diffusion within the dough matrix.
• Conducting sensory ranking tests to evaluate saltiness perception of different salt distribution methods.

Main Results:

• A 25% salt reduction was achieved by incorporating encapsulated salt grains, maintaining dough properties and enhancing perceived saltiness.
• Final strain during sheeting was negatively correlated with resistance to extension, offering a method to assess dough machinability.
• RX micro-tomography demonstrated that encapsulated coatings delayed salt dissolution and diffusion.
• Sensory evaluation confirmed that strategic distribution of encapsulated salt grains improved saltiness perception in reduced-salt dough.

Conclusions:

• Technological approaches, such as using encapsulated salt grains, can effectively increase saltiness perception in salt-reduced food products.
• The developed method allows for significant salt reduction while preserving desirable dough characteristics and enhancing sensory experience.
• Encapsulation technology offers a promising strategy for managing salt dissolution and diffusion in food processing.