Abstract
In recent years, many kinds of salts have come on the market; however, there are few systematic studies about the saltiness of salt. An argument about the taste of salt with or without minerals has been and still is a matter of controversy among consumers. Salt manufacture by ion-exchange membrane process produces more than 99% pure NaCl, while bay salt produced by a salt drying process contains rich minerals (bittern called “nigari” in Japanese) such as CaSO4, MgSO4, MgCl2 and KCl. It is difficult to evaluate how the minerals affect the salt taste quantitatively.
In the present study, we examined the saltiness of a mixed solution of sodium chloride, which contains minerals, and salts on the market using a multichannel taste sensor, which comprises different kinds of lipid/polymer membranes as the receptor part of chemical substances. Electric-potential measurement and CPA (Change in membrane Potential due to Adsorption) measurement using the taste sensor enabled us to make a taste map, which is composed of two dimensions. The long-term stability of sensor output for one year was confirmed. Although human sensory evaluations were also made, there was no significant difference among the taste of salts on the market. It means that we can evaluate and control the taste of salts using the taste sensor, because it is possible to detect a slight difference of taste, which is difficult for humans.
