A new frontier in salt replacement has opened up with the launch of commercial quantities of Soda-Lo: microscopic salt crystals enabling manufacturers to slash salt levels and retain their 'clean' labels.
The free-flowing 'Soda-Lo' particles - which, at 5-10 microns, are a fraction of the size of standard salt (c500 microns) - deliver an intense, salty hit on the taste buds.
It was well-known that the smaller the crystals, the higher the salt perception, said Dr Stephen Minter, technical director at Eminate - the Nottingham-based firm behind Soda-Lo.
However, the smaller they got, the more hygroscopic they became. They lost their free-flowing properties and stuck together, creating big headaches for manufacturers, he explained.
By contrast, Soda-Lo had been engineered using patent-pending technology that changed the structure of salt crystals to create free-flowing, microscopic hollow balls, he claimed.
"It has the consistency of talc and a shelf-life of 18 months."
The product was now being road-tested by manufacturers in multiple sectors, he added. "Results in bakery are particularly exciting. Bread makers are finding they can get the same crumb structure and height with 50% less salt. The smaller particle size means Soda-Lo cross-links gluten in dough more effectively, helping maintain structure during baking. More moisture is also retained, which could offer quality and shelf-life benefits."
Following a tie-up with an undisclosed third party, Eminate was now able to produce commercial quantities of Soda-Lo, said Minter. "We're starting the first production runs this week."
While Soda-Lo was more expensive than salt, it was competitively priced compared with other salt replacers, he claimed. Its clean-label status (it can be listed as 'salt' on labels) also appealed to potential customers, he said. "One manufacturer is building a new product range around it, while several others are trialling it at plant as well as pilot scale."
Other ingredients suppliers had developed clean-label yeast extracts and flavour enhancers to replace salt. However, they typically worked best in conjunction with non-sodium salts like potassium chloride, which many manufacturers were trying to avoid putting on labels, he said. "We're still selling salt - only smaller."