This article is - freely available Reducing Sodium in Foods: The
Effect on Flavor School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences,
Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Sensory
Science Group, Deakin University, Melbourne, 3125, VIC,
Australia * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 5 May 2011; in revised form: 31 May 2011 / Accepted:
10 June 2011 / Published: 20 June 2011 Abstract: Sodium is an
essential micronutrient and, via salt taste, appetitive. High
consumption of sodium is, however, related to negative health
effects such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and
stroke. In industrialized countries, about 75% of sodium in the
diet comes from manufactured foods and foods eaten away from
home. Reducing sodium in processed foods will be, however,
challenging due to sodium’s specific functionality in terms of
flavor and associated palatability of foods (i.e., increase of
saltiness, reduction of bitterness, enhancement of sweetness and
other congruent flavors). The current