Out of the Mouths of Babes
As highlighted in one of our previous blogs , the anti-salt campaign being waged in the U.K. by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), has resulted in the removal of saltshakers from school lunchrooms. Telegraph correspondent Paul Eastham reported that this has resulted in students totally avoiding their vegetables while in school. By blindly following the "avoid salt at all costs" mantra, the FSA has effectively prevented young students from enjoying the benefits of vegetable consumption during the school day.
A far more rational approach was advocated by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, the coalition between Bill Clinton and the American Heart Association. They made it clear that increased salt consumption was warranted whenever consuming foods that delivered essential nutrients, if the salt made these foods more palatable. They based their recommendation on the overall benefit/risk balance.
In order to reduce the level of rhetoric and to begin bringing scientifically-derived data to the issue, the Salt Institute, together with the Center for Innovative Technologies and the Department of Food Science and Technology of Ohio State University organized a series of formal taste panels to determine the impact of different levels of salt on the palatability and acceptability of cruciferous vegetables.
Sample preparation
Broccoli was chosen as the first test vegetable. Two levels of salt, high and medium/low, as well as zero salt were added to cooked broccoli and the participants were asked to rate their preferences. Computerized sensory evaluation software by Compusense was used to evaluate all responses and compile the resulting analysis. Naturally, participants were not informed which samples contained which levels of salt and all sample numbers were randomly generated
This is serious work
The first trial involved 88 students, ranging in age from 9 - 13 years. The students were fully briefed on the procedures and enthusiastically took part in the trials.
A good rinse between samples
The result was a virtual tie in preference between the high and medium/low levels of salt addition, with the zero salt a very distant third. Cruciferous vegetables are very nutritious, but are known to contain bitter components which youngsters are sensitive to. However, a small amount of salt makes these vegetables (together with their nutrients) highly acceptable.
Which one tastes best?
This study, together with future trial will be published in detail in the near future
