New Study Uncovers How To Successfully Reduce Sodium Using Our New Salt/Potassium Chloride Blend

The sensory results uncovered that the fried mozzarella sticks with 22.7% less sodium could achieve the same salty taste as the full salt control.

Consumers are increasingly looking for lower sodium food options. Cargill tries to deliver for these consumers by providing food manufacturers with the ingredients, resources, and expertise needed to meet their sodium reduction goals. One way in which Cargill can do this is by testing and retesting new product formulations in our state-of-the-art facilities, which include a culinary center, frying applications lab, sensory lab, and much more.

A recent study that was conducted at the Cargill Food Innovation Center in Minneapolis, MN, sought to uncover just how much sodium could be reduced in fried and breaded products, such as onion rings, chicken wings, or fried mozzarella sticks.

For this particular study, the focus was on fried mozzarella sticks. Since salt is a key functional cheese ingredient that increases the total sodium content in fried cheeses, there is plenty of room for sodium reduction. Fried mozzarella sticks are also one of the most popular fried appetizers in the US.^1,2 They are often found within school lunch programs, on restaurant and bar menus, and in catering, etc.

After months of adjusting the experimental design, our food scientists sent the reformulated fried mozzarella sticks with 22.7% sodium reduction to be tasted and evaluated by consumers. Using a trained consumer sensory panel, the results showed that the reformulated fried mozzarella sticks could achieve the same salty taste as the full salt control. The secret to its success was Potassium Pro® Salt/Potassium Chloride Granulated Blend 50/50.

Mozzarella stick study

With this new potassium chloride blend, we found we could reduce the sodium level in fried mozzarella sticks by 22.7% without affecting the consumers’ perception of flavor. To learn more about Cargill Salt’s growing potassium chloride and sodium reduction portfolio, visit https://www.cargill.com/food-beverage/na/sodium_reduction.

Sources: