Abstract Lowering dietary intake of sodium is currently an important public health goal, and a major driver of food product development. Reducing the salt content of food while maintaining the same structure and sensory quality is, however, no easy feat. While several strategies for reformulation exist, the available literature indicates that their effectiveness is highly product-dependent. The present research focused on different salt reduction strategies for potato chips (crisps), drawing on two studies focusing on young (18–30) consumers. In Study 1 (N = 200), the effect of simple salt reduction and two salt replacers (KCl and MSG) on consumer perception was investigated, using a reference product as basis for systematic reformulation. Study 1 also addressed the issue of how information labeling affects consumer perception by comparing results in blind and informed conditions (N = 100 each). The results indicated that sodium can be reduced up to 30% while maintaining the same palatability, and that replacement (up to 30%) by either KCl and MSG even increased liking in the blind condition. A strong labelling effect was found, however, whereby consumers significantly preferred the reference product than any of the reformulation when informed of its content, whereas the opposite was observed (reference was least liked) when tested in blind. Study 2 (N = 100) extended the range of experimental conditions by focusing on how salt reduction is affected by texture and seasoning type. The main result of Study 1 – that sodium can be reduced up to 30% while maintaining the same palatability (in blind) – was confirmed across different seasoning types, thus enabling a more robust basis for generalization. Contrary to expectations, the presence of a wavy (vs. smooth) texture increased liking only for a single seasoning type, and the effect was not dependent on salt content.

中文翻译：

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消费者对减盐薯片的看法：感官策略、标签效果和个人健康取向

摘要 降低膳食钠摄入量是当前重要的公共卫生目标，也是食品开发的主要驱动力。然而，在保持相同结构和感官品质的同时降低食物的盐含量并非易事。虽然存在几种重新配制的策略，但现有文献表明它们的有效性高度依赖于产品。目前的研究侧重于薯片（薯片）的不同减盐策略，借鉴了两项针对年轻（18-30 岁）消费者的研究。在研究 1 (N = 200) 中，使用参考产品作为系统重新配方的基础，研究了简单减盐和两种盐替代品（KCl 和 MSG）对消费者感知的影响。研究 1 还通过比较盲目和知情条件下的结果（每个 N = 100）解决了信息标签如何影响消费者感知的问题。结果表明，在保持相同适口性的情况下，钠含量最多可减少 30%，而用 KCl 和 MSG 替代（最多 30%）甚至会增加盲人的喜好。然而，发现了一种强烈的标签效应，即消费者在获悉其内容后更喜欢参考产品而不是任何重新配方，而在盲测时观察到相反的情况（参考最不喜欢）。研究 2 (N = 100) 通过关注质地和调味类型如何影响减盐量，扩展了实验条件的范围。研究 1 的主要结果——钠含量最多可减少 30%，同时保持相同的适口性（盲法）——在不同的调味类型中得到证实，从而为概括提供了更可靠的基础。与预期相反，波浪（相对于光滑）质地的存在仅增加了对单一调味料类型的喜爱，并且效果不依赖于盐含量。