Abstract：
Umami substances have the potential to enhance the perception of saltiness and thus reduce sodium intake. Two sensory evaluation experiments were conducted, involving participants tasting salt solutions, and solutions with added umami substances at equal sodium concentrations. Umami substances included sodium glutamate (MSG), disodium inosinate (IMP), and the combination of them which has a synergistic effect and is a closer match to commonly-consumed foods. In Experiment 1, using the two-alternative forced-choice (2-AFC) method by 330 consumers, paired comparisons were conducted at three different sodium concentrations. The combination of MSG and IMP enhanced the perception of saltiness (p < .001 in the difference test), whereas presenting either umami substance in isolation failed to do so (p > .05 in the similarity test). Significant order effects occurred in paired comparisons. In Experiment 2, a two-sip time-intensity (TI) analysis with trained panellists verified these results and found that tasting MSG and IMP either simultaneously or successively enhanced saltiness perception at equal sodium concentrations. These findings indicate that the synergistic effect of umami substances may be the cause of saltiness enhancement, and represents a potential strategy for sodium reduction while satisfying the consumer demand for saltiness perception. Considering the application in food processing and in food pairing, umami substances can potentially be used to help to reduce salt intake in food consumption.
摘要：
Umami物质具有增强咸味感的潜力，从而减少钠摄入量。进行了两次感官评价实验,让参与者品尝盐溶液，和添加等钠浓度的鲜味物质的溶液。Umami物质包括味精（MSG），肌苷酸二钠（IMP），以及它们的组合具有协同作用，与通常食用的食物更匹配。在实验1中，330名消费者使用两种替代强制选择(2-AFC)方法，在三种不同的钠浓度下进行配对比较.MSG和IMP的组合增强了对咸味的感知（差异测试中p<.001），而单独呈现两种鲜味物质都没有这样做(相似性测试中p>.05)。配对比较中出现了显着的顺序效应。在实验2中，由训练有素的小组成员进行的两口时间强度（TI）分析验证了这些结果，并发现在相同的钠浓度下，品尝MSG和IMP同时或相继增强了咸味感。这些发现表明，鲜味物质的协同作用可能是咸味增强的原因，代表了减少钠的潜在策略，同时满足消费者对咸味感知的需求。考虑到在食品加工和食品配对中的应用，鲜味物质可能有助于减少食物消耗中的盐摄入量。
