Ryo Koki, Kamei Mio, Horie Fuyumi, Kusakabe Yuko, Mochizuki-Kawai Hiroko
Institute of Food Research, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 2-1-12 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan.
Institute of Food Research, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 2-1-12 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan.
Food Res Int. 2025 Nov;219:116968. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116968. Epub 2025 Jun 30.
Accurately assessing saltiness perception in solid foods is essential for the development of low-sodium foods that maintain saltiness despite possessing a lower sodium content. This study aimed to develop a practical system for evaluating human-perceived saltiness during oral processing, particularly when food was initially placed on the tongue. As a basis for system design, sensory evaluations demonstrated that higher local salt concentrations (inhomogeneous distribution) on the tongue significantly enhanced perceived saltiness intensity compared to a homogeneous distribution, despite equal total salt content. These findings suggest that the saltiness intensity is determined by the strongest response from taste buds in fungiform papillae, which act as independent taste sensors on the tongue, rather than by overall or average response. Based on this understanding, a method was developed to evaluate saltiness intensity, in which the surface salt distribution of a food sample was first transferred onto moistened filter paper. The saltiness intensity was then estimated from the maximum salt concentration on the filter paper using a surface salinity meter containing multiple salt sensors. This approach also enabled qualitative assessment of the saltiness when food was compressed against the tongue by measuring the maximum surface salinity under applied pressure. Unlike conventional saltiness sensors, this system offers a practical method for evaluating solid food saltiness. It also contributes to the development of low-sodium foods by strategically altering surface salt distribution to enhance the perception of saltiness, making it an important tool for use in the food industry.
准确评估固体食物中的咸味感知对于开发低钠食品至关重要，这类食品尽管钠含量较低，但仍能保持咸味。本研究旨在开发一种实用系统，用于评估口腔加工过程中人类感知到的咸味，特别是当食物最初放在舌头上时。作为系统设计的基础，感官评估表明，尽管总盐含量相同，但与均匀分布相比，舌头上较高的局部盐浓度（不均匀分布）显著增强了感知到的咸味强度。这些发现表明，咸味强度是由菌状乳头中的味蕾产生的最强反应决定的，这些味蕾在舌头上充当独立的味觉传感器，而不是由整体或平均反应决定。基于这一认识，开发了一种评估咸味强度的方法，首先将食物样本的表面盐分布转移到湿润的滤纸上。然后使用包含多个盐传感器的表面盐度计，根据滤纸上的最大盐浓度来估计咸味强度。当食物压在舌头上时，通过测量施加压力下的最大表面盐度，这种方法还能够对咸味进行定性评估。与传统的咸味传感器不同，该系统提供了一种评估固体食物咸味的实用方法。它还通过战略性地改变表面盐分布以增强咸味感知，为低钠食品的开发做出贡献，使其成为食品工业中一种重要的工具。
