Recent Patents for Sodium Reduction in Foods

There are many foods containing variable amounts of sodium chloride in their formulation, sometimes its content is relatively large and has strong contribution to the salt dietary intake. Some of these foods belong to usual products like bakery, butchery and dairy foods, ready meals, sauces, snacks, etc. There is a clear increasing trend in the number of patents towards a lower salt content in foods as demanded by consumers and medical associations. Different approaches have been proposed, most of them by replacement with other salts and addition of other substances to keep the sensory quality. The recent patents for sodium reductions and its applications in foods are reviewed in this manuscript.