Effect of Monosodium Glutamate on Saltiness and Palatability Ratings of Low-Salt Solutions in Japanese Adults According to Their Early Salt Exposure or Salty Taste Preference

Morita, Rieko; Ohta, Masanori; Umeki, Yoko; Nanri, Akiko; Tsuchihashi, Takuya; Hayabuchi, Hitomi

doi:10.3390/nu13020577

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Effect of Monosodium Glutamate on Saltiness and Palatability Ratings of Low-Salt Solutions in Japanese Adults According to Their Early Salt Exposure or Salty Taste Preference

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Graduate School of Health and Environmental Sciences, Fukuoka Women’s University, Fukuoka 813-8529, Japan

Steel Memorial Yawata Hospital, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 805-8508, Japan

Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Faculty of Human Life and Environment, Nara Women’s University, Nara 630-8506, Japan

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Academic Editors: Masanari Kuwabara and Albertino Bigiani

Nutrients 2021, 13(2), 577; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020577

Received: 20 December 2020 / Revised: 4 February 2021 / Accepted: 5 February 2021 / Published: 9 February 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Salt in Health and Disease—a Delicate Balance)

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Abstract

Using umami can help reduce excessive salt intake, which contributes to cardiovascular disease. Differences in salt-exposed environment at birth and preference for the salty taste might affect the sense of taste. Focusing on these two differences, we investigated the effect of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) on the saltiness and palatability of low-salt solutions. Japanese participants (64 men, 497 women, aged 19–86 years) tasted 0.3%, 0.6%, and 0.9% NaCl solutions with or without 0.3% MSG to evaluate saltiness and palatability. They were also asked about their birthplace, personal salty preference, and family salty preference. Adding MSG enhanced saltiness, especially in the 0.3% NaCl solution, while the effect was attenuated in the 0.6% and 0.9% NaCl solutions. Palatability was rated higher with MSG than without MSG for each NaCl solution, with a peak value for the 0.3% NaCl solution with MSG. There was no difference in the effect of umami ingredients on palatability between the average salt intake by the regional block at birth and salty preference (all p > 0.05). Thus, adding an appropriate amount of umami ingredients can facilitate salt reduction in diet while maintaining palatability regardless of the salt-exposed environment in early childhood or salty preference. View Full-Text

Keywords: salt reduction; umami; palatability; taste preference; generation; regional difference

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Morita, R.; Ohta, M.; Umeki, Y.; Nanri, A.; Tsuchihashi, T.; Hayabuchi, H. Effect of Monosodium Glutamate on Saltiness and Palatability Ratings of Low-Salt Solutions in Japanese Adults According to Their Early Salt Exposure or Salty Taste Preference. Nutrients 2021, 13, 577. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020577

AMA Style

Morita R, Ohta M, Umeki Y, Nanri A, Tsuchihashi T, Hayabuchi H. Effect of Monosodium Glutamate on Saltiness and Palatability Ratings of Low-Salt Solutions in Japanese Adults According to Their Early Salt Exposure or Salty Taste Preference. Nutrients. 2021; 13(2):577. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020577

Chicago/Turabian Style

Morita, Rieko, Masanori Ohta, Yoko Umeki, Akiko Nanri, Takuya Tsuchihashi, and Hitomi Hayabuchi. 2021. "Effect of Monosodium Glutamate on Saltiness and Palatability Ratings of Low-Salt Solutions in Japanese Adults According to Their Early Salt Exposure or Salty Taste Preference" Nutrients 13, no. 2: 577. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020577

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Effect of Monosodium Glutamate on Saltiness and Palatability Ratings of Low-Salt Solutions in Japanese Adults According to Their Early Salt Exposure or Salty Taste Preference

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