Abstract
The factors affecting the taste of spinach boiled in salted water of various concentrations and various kinds of salt were investigated. The relationship of the oxalic acid content and mineral content with the acidity was also studied. The sensory evaluation of spinach boiled in salted water showed that the color and flavor were better when 1-3% of salt was used than when only distilled water was used. Salt also reduced the acidity. Spinach that had been boiled in water with refined salt and common salt had less acidity than that boiled in distilled water or amashio. The spinach boiled in amashio had a greater oxalic acid content than that boiled in the other salted water and the acidity was strong. However, the spinach boiled in distilled water had a lower free oxalic acid content than that boiled in salted water and the acidity was also strong. There was therefore no relationship between the acidity and the amount of oxalic acid. Sodium was detected in the soluble and insoluble fractions after spinach had been boiled in the higher concentrations of salted water. The reduced acidity of spinach boiled in salted water seems to have been caused by minerals such as Na, and not from the lower content of oxalic acid.
