THICKENING AGENTS EFFECTS ON SODIUM BINDING AND OTHER TASTE QUALITIESOF SOUP SYSTEMS

Low sodium chicken broth with NaCl added to provide Na+ concentrations in typical reduced Na+ soups (144 and 288 mg Na+/240 mt serving) was thickened with commonly used gum, starch, or flour food additives. Xan than gum suppressed saltiness as the result of ionic binding of Na+, a s determined by sensory evaluation and Na-23 NMR spectroscopy. Saltine ss was affected by added NaCl (p = 0.0001), thickener (p < 0.01), and added NaC1thickener (p < 0.01), and positively correlated with chicke n and overall flavors (p = 0.0001). Cornstarch provided body, no suppr ession of salt taste, and the greatest salt enhancement of chicken and overall flavors. In complex food systems, temperature and other facto rs affected Na+ binding as measured by NMR pointing to the need for a new model.