Descriptive and Temporal Saltiness Perception Properties of Model Solid Lipoproteic Colloid Foods—Implications for Sodium Reduction

Solid lipoproteic colloid (SLC) foods that consist of an oil-in-water emulsion of lipid and protein such as cheese and sausage contribute a significant amount of sodium to modern diets. This study aimed to correlate the overall saltiness perception to the texture and temporal saltiness perception of SLCs to understand saltiness perception during oral processing. Model SLCs with varying levels of protein and fat were prepared via pressure homogenization of whey protein isolate, anhydrous milk fat, and NaCl, followed by heat-induced gelation. Descriptive sensory analysis (DSA) and time-intensity (TI) method were used to characterize the sensory profiles and the temporal saltiness perception properties of the SLCs, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis of the DSA results showed that the samples were grouped based on the formulation and the homogenization pressures. The maximum saltiness intensity in the TI curves increased with decreasing contents of protein and fat and decreasing homogenization pressures. The PCA and cluster analysis of the taste and texture attributes from the DSA and the TI parameters showed that the nonfat samples were clustered together, characterized by the DSA salty taste, syneresis texture, and the TI initial saltiness intensity. When only fat-containing samples were analyzed, the DSA salty attribute correlated significantly with the texture attributes of fracturable and syneresis. The dependence of saltiness perception on the texture properties of the nonfat and fat-containing samples discovered in this study provided insights for the future development of reduced-sodium products.