Salt Taste, Nutrition, and Health

Dear Colleagues,

Salt (NaCl) is a key component of human diet, for it provides sodium ions (Na⁺) required to maintain proper extracellular fluid volume and to allow many physiological processes to occur. The need for salt explains our ability to detect Na⁺ in foodstuffs: Na⁺ elicits a specific taste sensation called “salty”, and gustatory sensitivity to this cation is crucial for regulating its intake. Indeed, the widespread use of salt in food products for flavouring and to improve their palatability exploits our keen taste for Na⁺. When consumed in excess, however, Na⁺ might be detrimental for health because it increases blood pressure by expanding, through water retention, blood volume. This has prompted food scientists to search for salt taste modifiers to reduce salt content in food products without affecting flavour and consumer acceptance. It is clear from these considerations that research on salt taste mechanisms provides an important avenue for improving human nutrition in health and disease.

Despite the fundamental role of salt taste in affecting diet selection, nutrition, and health, these relationships are only partially understood. In this Special Issue of Nutrients, entitled "Salt Taste, Nutrition and Health”, we invite original research communications and reviews dealing with all aspects of salt taste mechanisms relevant for food flavouring, nutrition and health.

Prof. Albertino Bigiani

Guest Editor