Emerging Science | Leveraging innovation to address technical challenges of reducing sodium in foods

Research suggests that most of the dietary sodium of Americans comes from processed, packaged and prepared foods. For individuals trying to manage their sodium intake, identifying food choices that meet their needs may be challenging in some eating or food purchasing situations. However, many food manufacturers and food service organizations have made commitments towards sodium reduction in their products and have stealthily introduced them into the market. There are many technical obstacles to reducing sodium in food products considering the functional roles of sodium-containing ingredients. Removal of sodium-containing ingredients or identifying non- or low-sodium alternatives without compromising sensory attributes (taste, texture, color) and food safety and shelf-life has its limits. The commercially available solutions of today may not achieve the higher sodium reduction targets of the future. This webinar will give insights on the challenges of existing tools, focusing on emerging technologies and future recommendations from a food industry perspective. In addition, attendees will gain insights on the process of identifying new technologies or ingredients and the development cycle of bringing an idea from initial concept to commercialization.