1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substitute for common table salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) and more particularly to a low-sodium food flavoring composition for promoting a full salty seasoning taste for foods and in food cooking and as a magnesium dietary supplement. The composition of this invention is primarily useful as a food seasoning salt substitute to be used in those instances where sodium in the diet must be reduced. The composition, while having a full salty taste equivalent to ordinary table salt, is not bitter, does not leave a disagreeable aftertaste and can be used in food cooking without changes in the composition.
It is well known that in certain cardiac and renal conditions, particularly when associated with endema, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, pregnancy complications and epilepsy, the diet must be relatively salt-free in order to avoid further damage and to ameliorate these conditions to the degree that control of diet can do so. It is further known that the deleterious action of common table salt is due to the sodium content thereof, since it is the sodium in the form of sodium ions which must be specifically avoided. Since this robs the diet of a good deal of palatability, many cardiac and renal disease patients continue to use table salt even though it should not be used by them. Consequently, continued or further damage results or such patients fail to obtain alleviation of their condition. Further, the tendency of the sodium content in the diet to cause an accumulation of fluids with a corresponding increase in the weight of the body tissues has emphasized the importance of reducing the sodium intake in reducing diets.
Salt hunger, or the desire for salt, seems to be a primary instinct of man which is shared by many animals. It is an important part of the taste sense or taste pattern of most all people. Food without salt is substantially tasteless, flat, and unpalatable. Thus, the necessity for adhering to a low salt or saltless diet imposes a very genuine hardship on persons suffering from such pathological conditions. Added to this sensuous hardship may be an impairment of health by reason of the fact that unpalatable food is not as easily ingested as that which is enjoyed.
Many attempts have been made to provide salty tasting compositions as a substitute for table salt which will give the same or a similar seasoning effect and which are comprised of substantially reduced quantities of sodium chloride. To this end potassium chloride, ammonium chloride and similar compounds have been suggested. The use of these chlorides, and combinations of them, leaves much to be desired as to taste. Neither of them individually or in combinations tastes like sodium chloride. Each alone has a disagreeable taste as do mixtures of same. Potassium chloride has a strong "after-taste" which is usually characterized as "bitter" by most people. Ammonium chloride also has a bitter after-taste, and (in addition) when ingested disturbs the acid-base balance in the blood, produces acidosis and stimulates bronchial mucosa causing excess mucosus secretion and coughing. Ammonium chloride must be eliminated by the body as urea thus taxing the functions of the liver and the kidneys. Further, at cooking and baking temperatures ammonium chloride decomposes thereby changing the pH value, taste and other properties of the food containing it and being cooked or baked. It has been suggested that minor amounts of magnesium, calcium, formates and citrates be utilized in salt substitute compositions composed primarily of potassium chloride to mask or overcome the bitter taste of this chloride. One drawback inherent in the use of these additives is that the true salty or zesty flavor or taste sensation associated with salt is lost or impaired. Another drawback is that many of these additives stratify or segregate due to the dissimilarity in crystal structure and density between the additive and the sodium chloride, potassium chloride and/or ammonium chloride components of the composition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been numerous formulations prepared and compositions proposed to aid in reducing or eliminating to a substantial degree the sodium intake. Some formulations completely eliminate sodium chloride, but seek to retain the "salty" taste associated with sodium chloride (common table salt) since the taste sense appears to be a primary need, drive or desire built into man throughout his evolution. These formulations, while reducing or eliminating sodium chloride from the diet of man from the seasoning standpoint, have been largely unsuccessful in satisfying the principal hunger and taste desire man appears to have for the saline taste of salt.
A number of U.S. patents disclose and claim inventions relating to sodium-free substitutes. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,471,144, issued to E. D. Davy and entitled "Salt Substitute," a sodium-free preparation containing chlorides of potassium and ammonium as the primary saline constituents (70-95% of the total ingredients) with the addition of small amounts of calcium and magnesium cations and citrate and formate anions is proposed as a salt substitute. The small amounts of magnesium, calcium, formate and citrate ions are included in the preparation to "smooth out" the taste to make the preparation taste similar to that of sodium chloride. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,596,333, issued to A. Halpern et al and entitled "Dietary Salt Substitute," the claimed product contains potassium chloride particles (70-85% by weight) with a coating comprising an inert binder (gum or starch) and a glutamic acid compound (glutamic acid, potassium glutamate and calcium glutamate). The glutamic acid compound is used to mask the bitter taste of the potassium chloride particles.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,601,122, issued to L. Freedman and entitled "Saline Composition," it is acknowledged that the sodium-free salts proposed to replace common table salt (including principally potassium chloride and ammonium chloride components), while having a saline taste, have certain taste disadvantages such as "metallic" or "bitter" after-taste. Freedman, therefore, proposes to add to sodium-free compositions consisting primarily of chlorides of potassium and ammonium a salt of choline to overcome the bitterness normally associated with such chlorides and a caking retardant (a stearate, a starch or a tricalcium phosphate). G. C. Perri and K. Ladenberg in their U.S. Pat. No. 2,824,008, entitled "Salt Substitute," disclose and claim a sodium-free composition comprising, by weight, 45-55 parts of potassium chloride, 30-40 parts of dipotassium succinate, and about 10-20 parts of dipotassium fumarate. The fumarate and succinate act to mask the bitter after-taste usually accompanying the use of potassium chloride.
A further sodium-free "Salt Substitute Composition" has been disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,083 by H. C. Miller. The composition is comprised of about 80-99% by weight of potassium chloride and from about 1-20% by weight of fumaric acid. The bitter after-taste of potassium chloride is allegedly overcome by the fumaric acid component of the composition. A commercial version of this sodium-free composition is marketed by Morton Salt Company as "Morton Salt Substitute." Most recently U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,244, entitled "Low Sodium Salt Substitute," has been issued to A. E. Allen, Jr. (deceased) and proposes a salt seasoning product having potassium chloride as its major ingredient (92%) with buffers, flavor enhancers and a suitable anti-caking agent. Still more recently U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,691 entitled "Sodium-free Salt Substitute" has issued to M. J. Mohlenkamp, Jr. and G. D. Hiler and discloses a sodium-free salt substitute containing nucleotides, an amino acid mixture, a sugar, a potassium phosphate and about 15% to about 50% by weight of potassium chloride.
In the past, efforts have also been made to provide a low-sodium seasoning salt by the substitution of potassium chloride for part of the sodium chloride in the salt product. Past commercial efforts to provide a low-sodium salt have involved various combinations of flavoring, flavor enhancers and buffers with the potassium chloride together with suitable free-flow agents. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,742,366, issued to R. M. Power and entitled "Salt Substitute and Method of Preparing Same," it is proposed that a low-sodium salt substitute contain between 50% and 70% by weight of potassium chloride, between 15% and 35% by weight of sugar, between 1% and 10% by weight of monocalcium glutimate, and up to 5% (based upon total weight of the salt substitute) of sodium chloride.
R. L. Frank et al in their U.S. Pat. No. 3,514,296 (Reissue No. 27,981), entitled "Salt Substitute," have disclosed a low-sodium salt substitute comprised of 20 to 80% by eight of potassium and 80 to 20% by weight of sodium chloride. The inventors aver that such salt composition provides for 80% of the population a saltiness taste greater than an equal quantity of sodium chloride component (alone) of the composition. The commercial version of the patented product is sold under the name "Lite-Salt" by the Morton Salt Company and contains 50% potassium chloride and 50% sodium chloride.
Another low-sodium salt product is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,006, issued to G. J. Moritz and entitled "Salt Seasoning Mixture." The principal ingredients of the mixture are sodium chloride (.+-.-65% by weight), potassium chloride and citric acid granules, the latter being encapsulated with a non-toxic substance such as gelatin, cellulose wax or hydrogenated vegetable oil. The citric acid acts as an agent for masking the bitter taste of the potassium chloride but, according to the inventor, requires encapsulation to overcome the delinquescence nature of citric acid to avoid "caking" of the mixture.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,346, issued to H. L. Kravitz and entitled "Dietary Salt Compositions," a salt composition is proposed which is comprised of the basic mineral element cations, sodium (92-93.l%), potassium (2.4-3.4%), calcium (3.1-3.4%) and magnesium (1.2-1.4%) together with one or more trace elements essential to the human diet.