Baking&Snack - October 2013 - 62

SALT

Reduced-sodium salts
must perform in bread
by moderating yeast
activity, strengthening
gluten, adding shelf life
and enhancing flavor.
Nu-Tek Food Science

mention of sea salt in the ingredient list.
Introduced 12 years ago, Ocean’s Flavor Lower
Sodium Sea Salt is described by Mr. Fisher as, “the godfather of today’s low-sodium salt.” The company patented the process that yields a natural low-sodium sea salt
ranging in sodium content from 30 to 68% less than regular salt. It consists of sodium chloride with high levels
of potassium, magnesium and other minerals.
Ocean’s Flavor harvests its lower-sodium salt from
an ancient lagoon in Mexico that once supplied the
Aztecs. “It is unlike any other sea-water lagoon,” Mr.
Fisher observed, noting that 133 different minerals have
been identified in its brine. Ocean water, he said, carries
85 minerals. All water used in processing this sea salt
comes from the lagoon, including washing the crystals.
SOLO, a sodium-reduced, magnesium-enriched
sea salt also containsing potassium, was introduced in
Europe 15 years ago by The Low Sodium Sea Salt Co.
The company licensed US production of SOLO to Nexcel
Natural Ingredients, Springfield, IL. It can achieve a 60%
cut in sodium compared with regular salt.
The push to slash sodium intake has been particularly strong in the UK, where the public health target is
2,400 mg per day of sodium and no more. Mr. Wilson
recalled, “I developed SOLO to help drive down sodium
in the full spectrum of food products. Health experts
say it provides potassium and magnesium in the perfect
proportion.”
Such compounds add consumer appeal. “The main
advantage is its natural mineral content, and it is physically the same as common salt,” observed Alan English,
technical manager, The Low Sodium Sea Salt Co.
Newer to the market is Salona Low Sodium Sea Salt,
from ICL Food Specialties. It is harvested from the Dead

/ Baking & Snack / October 2013

Sea in Israel and contains only 1.7 g sodium per 100 g,
compared with salt’s 38 g. “Not all sea salts are equivalent since they generally reflect the water composition
from the sea in which they are derived,” said Barbara
Bufe Heidolph, principal, applications research and
technical support, ICL Food Specialties, St. Louis.
Salona is a natural mineral that contains potassium
and magnesium. “When used in combination with sodium chloride, it provides a balance of cations that delivers
a better flavor profile than single chloride substitutes,”
Ms. Heidolph explained.
Saltwell, a new lower-sodium salt alternative described earlier, is another sea salt, although it comes
from the Atacama Desert, west of the Andes Mountains
in northern Chile. It is extracted as brine from a
mineral-rich pool of water 30 m below the desert’s crust.
The high-altitude desert is considered the most sterile
environment on Earth. “We don’t do anything to the
product except dry it,” Mr. Hultman noted.
This sea salt is a natural combination of sodium and
potassium chlorides and 35% reduced in sodium from
conventional salt. It is not a blend, Mr. Hultman noted,
but a one-grain product.
Closer to home, Morton Salt’s California Pure sea salt
is harvested from the waters of San Francisco Bay.

Shape-shifting salt
Yes, sodium chloride can replace sodium chloride and
still achieve the food manufacturer’s targeted sodium
content, but it takes special shapes to do the job. The
trick is to make less do more.
Consider the hollow pyramid configuration of
Cargill’s Alberger salt. “In topical applications, you can
do a lot with the physical aspects of particle size and
crystal morphology, which can help create a burst of
salty taste,” Dr. Johnson said. “It boils down to surface
area: the greater the area, the faster the rate of dissolution and the greater the salty taste impression. Our
Alberger coarse topping flake salt with its hollow pyramid shape is a good example.”
Another is SODA-LO Salt Microspheres, a new form
of sodium chloride introduced to the US by Tate & Lyle.
Proprietary technology turns standard salt crystals into
free-flowing, hollow spheres. “The smaller crystals optimize saltiness perception in foods by maximizing
surface area relative to volume, so SODA-LO makes it
possible to enjoy clean salt flavor while consuming lower
levels of sodium,” the company stated.
It tastes, labels and functions like salt because it is salt,
and it reduces sodium in food applications by up to 50%.
Salt and sodium may not be top of mind for consumers, but they should be for bakery and snack formulators. It’s time to get smart about salt.

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Baking&Snack - October 2013

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