Dental plaque could hold the key to healthier ready meals
Researchers at the University of Nottingham have found that dental plaque contains a substance that tricks the brain into thinking that food is saltier than it is. This new information could hold the key to healthier ready meals, as manufacturers could reduce the salt content without affecting the taste.
Compounds known as dextrans can be found in plaque and the research team is hoping to encourage food manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt they put in processed foods and ready-made meals. The Food Standards Agency is keen to promote healthier eating, along with the government and health experts; a high salt intake is linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart problems and strokes. The Food Standards Agency has launched a campaign to encourage people to eat less salt and they have also set targets for food manufacturers to reduce salt content by 2012.
The Government has already written to a number of large food manufacturers, including Pizza Hut, McDonald’s and Mars, to encourage them to reduce the amount of salt in their foods.
Professor Bettina Wolf and her team of researchers from the food science department at the University of Nottingham found that adding dextrans can make food taste saltier without making it thick, like some other agents. During the study, volunteers were given various solutions; one had no dextran, one had a high concentration of small dextran molecules and one had a low concentration of large dextran molecules. The volunteers said that the solution with small dextran molecules tasted salty.
Professor Wolf said that the findings presented a solution to the problem faced by consumers and manufacturers, how to make a healthy food product, which is still full of flavour.
Join this Discussion