Salt: Its Perception, Functions and Strategies to Reduce its Use in Foods

Salt has been used since the early ages of mankind to increase the palatability and durability of foods. Sodium in salt plays an important role in the fluid and electrolyte balance and regulation of blood pressure in human body; however, it may cause many serious illnesses especially heart diseases when consumed excessively. Today, daily salt consumption by adults is well above the recommended level, and most of the dietary salt consumption comes from processed foods. For this reason, scientists are collaborating with food industry to develop new strategies to reduce salt intake from processed foods. Nevertheless, lowering NaCI level of foods is not easy without damaging the quality characteristics of food products. In this study, information about the taste perception of salt, functions of salt in foods, and strategies to reduce the salt content of processed foods are reviewed