Abstract
Excessive intake of salt contributes to an increase in blood pressure, and is considered to be a cause of stroke and cardiovascular disease. In recent years, a low-salt diet has been prescribed to prevent these illnesses. However, this leads to a reduction in the taste of hospital meals, and meal refusal by inpatients has become a problem. To counteract this situation, we created low-salt dishes using monomagnesium di-l-glutamate (MDG) as a non-sodium seasoning. The glutamate is well known for its umami taste, one of five basic tastes. We performed a sensory evaluation to compare the taste of normal dishes, low-salt dishes and MDG-containing low-salt dishes. The results showed that normal low-salt dishes had a significantly reduced taste, whereas low-salt dishes containing low-salt seasoning had remarkably improved palatability, saltiness and overall taste intensity. We therefore considered that low-salt seasoning with MDG as an umami compound is an effective way of reducing sodium intake while maintaining the palatability of cooked food.
