Taste-enhancement of sodium chloride-reduced compositions

The taste of foods and beverages containing less than a normal amount of sodium chloride is enhanced by addition of a food-acceptable encapsulated ammonium salt. Food-acceptable carrier agents for encapsulating food-acceptable ammonium salts include maltodextrin, gum arabic and gelatinized starches, in particular, starches which have a high amylopectin content, and in particular, a gelatinized starch hydrolysate debranched at 1,6-alpha-D-glycosidic linkages. The ammonium salts are usefully prepared with ammonia recovered during spray-drying of fermented soy sauce and by recovering ammonia formed by acid hydrolysis of a protein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to salt taste-enhancers more particularly to 
encapsulated ammonium salts as salt taste-enhancers for food compositions. 
Excessive dietary sodium ion intake, the primary source of which is sodium 
chloride or table salt in foods, has long been associated with a number of 
health problems such as hypertension. It is generally recognized that the 
sodium ion intake of most persons is in excess of minimal physiological 
needs of the body. Consequently, a marked reduction in sodium consumption 
is recommended for most persons. However, the inclusion of sodium chloride 
in the diet contributes a good deal to the palatability of foods, and food 
without salt is perceived to be tasteless, flat and unpalatable. 
Heretofore, a number of sodium-free compositions have been suggested as 
salt substitutes to replace sodium chloride in foods while retaining the 
palatability of the food. 
Examples of such salt substitutes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 
2,471,144; 2,601,112; 3,782,974; 4,243,691; 4,340,614; and 4,451,494. 
Among the most popular salt substitutes are potassium chloride, ammonium 
salts such as ammonium chloride and mixtures thereof. However, such salt 
substitutes suffer from a number of disadvantages, including off-taste or 
bitter flavor, a taste perception different than sodium chloride and a 
salty impression much less from that of sodium chloride. In particular, 
ammonium salts are hygroscopic and have a sour aftertaste. Typically, a 
number of other components must be included to mask the bitterness which a 
salt substitute, such as potassium or ammonium chloride imparts, such as a 
combination with potassium chloride of calcium and magnesium formate and 
citrate salts, sugar, choline citrate and hydrolysed animal protein. 
Another procedure which has been suggested for reducing sodium ion intake 
is to incorporate salt taste-enhancers in foods and beverages. That is, 
compounds, which potentiate or amplify the taste of sodium chloride in 
foods and beverages so that the sodium chloride content thereof may be 
reduced without adversely affecting the desired salty taste of the food. 
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,672 and the prior art discussed therein, 
disclose the use of substances such as cationic surfactants, bretylium 
tosylate, certain polypeptides, and the like, as salt taste-enhancers. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
We have found that an encapsulated ammonium salt, when added to a food or 
beverage containing less than a normal amount of sodium chloride, will 
enhance or potentiate the salty taste of the food or beverage. 
Accordingly, the present invention provides a composition enhanced in 
sodium chloride taste which comprises a food or beverage containing a less 
than normal amount of sodium chloride, and a sodium chloride taste 
potentiating amount of an encapsulated ammonium salt. 
The salt taste-enhancers of the present invention allow the sodium chloride 
content of a food or beverage to be reduced without adversely affecting 
the desired salty taste of the product. It is to be understood that the 
salt taste-enhancers of this invention are not salt substitutes and do not 
completely replace sodium chloride in the food or beverage. Rather, they 
are saltiness enhancers and require a minimum level of sodium chloride in 
the food or beverage of about 0.20% in order to potentiate the sodium 
chloride taste in the product. 
Accordingly, the present invention provides, in addition, a process for 
potentiating the salty taste of a food or beverage containing a less than 
a normal amount of sodium chloride by adding to the food or beverage a 
sodium chloride taste potentiating amount of an encapsulated ammonium 
salt. 
The present invention also provides a process for preparing a salty tasting 
food or beverage containing a reduced amount of sodium chloride which 
comprises formulating a food or beverage with an amount of sodium chloride 
less than is necessary to achieve a desired salty taste in the food or 
beverage, and potentiating the sodium chloride taste by adding an 
encapsulated ammonium salt to the food or beverage of reduced sodium 
chloride content. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Examples of ammonium salts which may be encapsulated are food acceptable 
salts such as the chlorides, phosphates, citrates, lactates, tartrates, 
fumarates, adipates, malates, succinates and gluconates. One useful source 
of ammonia which can be converted into an ammonium salt to be encapsulated 
is ammonia recovered from fermented soy sauce during spray drying. 
However, one especially advantageous source of ammonia which can be 
converted into an ammonium salt is formed during protein hydrolysis, e.g., 
from the evaporator condensate waste stream obtained in the production of 
acid hydrolysed proteins. 
In this acid hydrolysis process, vegetable plant or animal proteins derived 
from corn, soy, wheat, rice, yeast, peanut or casein are commonly used as 
starting protein sources and are usually obtained as a result of the 
separation of the protein fraction during milling of grains or following 
solvent extraction of oils. The protein contents of these raw materials 
may range from 40% to 90% with a general average of about 60%. Normally, 
the protein source is hydrolysed with hydrochloric acid having a 
concentration of about 20% by weight at a temperature from about 
120.degree.-135.degree. C. over a period from about 5 to 8 hours and 
elevated pressure up to 30 psig (2 bar). 
Following hydrolysis, the slurry is neutralised with a suitable alkaline 
material such as sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate to a pH of from 5.0 
to 5.3, and the residual unhydrolysed material (lignin, humin) is filtered 
out. The slurry may be decolourised prior to filtration or the filtrate 
following filtration may be decolourised by conventional means, e.g., 
activated carbon, absorption resins. 
Following filtration of the unhydrolysed material and salts formed, the 
filtered liquid, containing about 42% solids may be further concentrated 
to pastes by a vacuum evaporator, and the pastes then are dried in a 
vacuum oven. Ammonia is removed during vacuum evaporation and may be 
trapped in the distillate by a condensor forming an evaporator condensate 
waste stream containing dilute ammonia. 
The encapsulated ammonium salt may be produced from the evaporator 
condensate waste stream by an evaporator system or by a degassifier system 
to give a concentrated ammonium salt which may then be spray dried with 
the encapsulating agent. 
The present invention thus further provides an encapsulated ammonium salt 
wherein the ammonium salt is derived from ammonia formed during protein 
hydrolysis. 
In the evaporator system, the encapsulated ammonium salt taste-enhancer is 
prepared by neutralising the evaporator condensate waste stream with an 
acid (e.g., hydrochloric acid), concentrating using a vacuum evaporator, 
purifying with activated carbon, filtering and then spray drying the 
filtrate with an encapsulating carrier. 
In the degassifier system, the encapsulated ammonium salt taste-enhancer is 
prepared by heating the evaporator condensate waste stream to a 
temperature of from 30.degree. C. to just below the boiling point of 
water, preferably from 35.degree. C. to 96.degree. C. and more preferably 
from 40.degree. C. to 90.degree. C., through a heat exchanger, raising the 
pH to above 9, preferably above 10 and especially 11 with alkali, 
injecting through a nozzle into a packed tower followed by a forced air 
degassifier, trapping the volatiles in an acid solution, e.g., 
concentrated HC1 (32%), phosphoric, tartaric, lactic or citric acid to 
form a salt solution and then, spray drying the salt solution, containing 
usually from 15% to 25% by weight of solids, with an encapsulating 
carrier. 
Encapsulating agents that may be used include maltodextrin, gum arabic, and 
gelatinised starches which are advantageously hydrolysed. 
The starches are preferably starches with a high amylopectin content such 
as waxy cereal starches, e.g., waxy maize starch and waxy rice starch. The 
starches are conveniently cooked to be gelatinized before hydrolysis and, 
if desired, they may be modified, preferably at the raw stage. The 
starches may be hydrolyse at their 1, 6-alpha-D-glycosidic linkages. 
The hydrolysing enzyme may, for instance, be an isoamylase (1, 
6-alpha-D-glucosidase), a debranching enzyme which specifically hydrolyses 
the 1, 6-alpha-D-glycoside bonds of branch-chain amylopectin to form 
amylose without formation of reducing sugars and/or oligosaccharides. 
Isoamylases may be obtained from broad beans (R-enzyme) or from the 
fermentation of yeast and bacterial species such as Pseudomonas and 
Cytophaga. The isoamylase, Amano DB-250 (Amano Enzyme USA Co. Ltd.) is 
obtained by a fermentation process from a selected strain of Bacillus 
sectorrams. Another suitable hydrolysing enzyme is a heat-stable 
pullulanase debranching enzyme, pullulan 6-glucano-hydrolase, which 
hydrolyses the 1, 6-alpha-D-glycosidic linkages of amylopectin as well as 
pullulan, a linear polysaccharide composed of maltotriose units linked by 
1,6-alpha-D-glycosidic bonds. The pullulanase, Amano pullulanase #3 (Amano 
Enzyme USA Co., Ltd) is obtained by a fermentation process from a selected 
strain of Aerobacter sp. The pullulanase, Novo promozyme 200L (Novo 
Nordisk A/S) is obtained from a selected strain of Bacillus 
acidopullulyticus by submerged fermentation and is a U.S. food grade 
enzyme, which has been used for preparing the debranching starch 
hydrolysate as the encapsulating agent. 
The encapsulated ammonium salt taste-enhancers of the present invention are 
effective in potentiating or amplifying the salty taste of foods and 
beverages even when incorporated at relatively low levels. For example, 
the salty taste of foods and beverages is significantly enhanced by the 
incorporation therein of encapsulated ammonium salt containing the 
ammonium salt in an amount of from 0.05 to 0.75%, preferably from 0.1 to 
0.5% and especially from 0.15 to 0.3% by weight based on the weight of 
food or beverage. If the encapsulated ammonium salt contains about 50% by 
weight of the ammonium salt, then the levels of the encapsulated ammonium 
salt are from 0.1 to 1.5%, preferably from 0.2 to 1.0% and especially from 
0.3 to 0.6% by weight based on the weight of food or beverage. 
A salt taste potentiating amount of encapsulated ammonium salt is effective 
in potentiating the sodium chloride taste in a wide variety of foods and 
beverages containing a less than normal amount of sodium chloride, but 
having a minimum level of sodium chloride of at least about 0.20%. For 
example, the salty taste of foods such as low sodium chicken broth, soups, 
salad dressing, sauces, mayonnaise, cooked ground beef, oat-meal, and the 
like, containing a less than normal amount of sodium chloride, is 
significantly enhanced by the addition of encapsulated ammonium salt in 
the amounts indicated above. Greater amounts up to about 3% or more of the 
encapsulated salt may, of course, be used, but, preferably, the amount of 
encapsulated salt used is from 0.1% to 1.5% by weight based on the weight 
of food or beverage as indicated above.

EXAMPLES 
The following Examples further illustrate the present invention. Parts and 
percentages are by weight when not stated. 
Example 1 
Waxy maize starch (20%) was dispersed in an aqueous solution, cooked to 
95.degree. C., and then cooled to 40.degree. C. in a Brabender amylograph. 
Amano pullulanase #3 (Amano Enzyme USA Co., Ltd) (3,000 units/ml) was 
added at the use level of 0.2% based on starch. The hydrolysis reaction 
was carried out with agitation at a constant temperature, 40.degree. C. 
and viscosity is monitored during reaction. HPP evaporator condensate (100 
kg, ammonium nitrogen 0,210%) was neutralized with 32% hydrochloric acid, 
concentrated using a vacuum evaporator to 3kg, purified with activated 
carbon (100 g Nuchar SA) at 70.degree. C. for 45 min., and then filtered. 
The filtrate (ammonium nitrogen 5.79%; NH.sub. 4C1 22.12%) was mixed with 
the above starch hydrolysate (2.27 kg), and then spray-dried with inlet 
air temperature of 150.degree. C. and outlet temperature of 90.degree. C. 
to a finished powder product (NH.sub. 4Cl48.0%). The recovery yield of 
ammonium chloride during spray drying was 68.7%. The product gave an 
excellent clean, white powder with low hygroscopicity. 
Example 2 
Waxy rice starch (20%) was used instead of waxy maize starch as in Example 
1, and isoamylase alpha-1, 6-D-glucosidase (Amano DB-250-Amano Enzyme USA 
Co., Ltd) (300 units/ml) was used instead of pullulanase at the use level 
of 2% based on starch. The resulting finished powder product contained 
50.0% NH.sub.4 Cl. The recovery yield of ammonium chloride was 74.0%. The 
finished product gave an excellent clean, white and low hygroscopic 
powder. 
Example 3 
A typical low-cost cheese sauce contains approximately 1.6% by wt. sodium 
chloride. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the salt 
taste-enhancers of the present invention, a comparable low-cost cheese 
sauce was formulated containing 0.5% sodium chloride, and was used as a 
control. To one aliquot of this control cheese sauce was added 0.40% by 
weight of the spray-dried encapsulated ammonium chloride (48% NH.sub.4 Cl 
by weight) prepared in Example 1. The control cheese sauce and the sauce 
to which the salt taste-enhancers had been added were then evaluated by a 
sensory panel consisting of eight trained judges who were of the opinion 
that the salt taste-enhancer significantly amplified the sodium chloride 
taste. 
Example 4 
3.41 g of a low sodium chicken base containing 41 mg Na/g base and 1.69 g 
of a low sodium beef base containing 83 mg Na/g base were used as test 
media each in a serving portion of 100 g. 
Control samples were made by adding NaC1 and KC1 to the test media, and a 
sample according to the present invention was made by adding, 0.40 g of 
the spray-dried encapsulated ammonium chloride (48% NH.sub.4 Cl by weight) 
as prepared in Example 1. The amounts of NaCl and KCl, as well as the 
sodium content / 100 g serving portion, are given in the following Table 
1. 
TABLE 1 
______________________________________ 
Sodium 
content Chicken 
Sample 100 g serving 
broth Beef broth 
______________________________________ 
1) Test medium 140 mg 3.41 g base 
1.69 g base 
2) Control with 
280 mg 3.41 g base + 
1.69 g base + 
NaCl added 0.36 g NaCl 
0.36 g NaCl 
3) Encapsulated 
140 mg 3.41 g base + 
1.69 g base + 
ammonium salt 0.40 g 0.40 g 
4) KCl 140 mg 3.41 g base + 
1.69 g base + 
0.46 g 0.46 g 
______________________________________ 
A sensory panel judged that the encapsulated ammonium salt significantly 
amplified the sodium chloride taste. The sample (3) gave comparable salt 
taste to the control sample (2) and gave better salt taste than the 
potassium chloride sample (4), which had an undesirable aftertaste.