Paula de Moura Piovesana

Association between Taste Sensitivity and Self-Reported and Objective Measures of Salt Intake among Hypertensive and Normotensive Individuals

This study investigated the gustatory threshold for salt and its relationship with dietary salt intake among hypertensive (n = 54) and normotensive (n = 54) subjects. Salt intake was evaluated through 24-hour urinary sodium excretion and self-reported measures (discretionary salt, Sodium- Food Frequence Questionnaire (Na-FFQ), and 24-hour recall). Detection and recognition thresholds were higher among hypertensive subjects, as well as the total sodium intake. Detection and recognition thresholds were positively related to discretionary salt and total intake of the group as whole. Hypertensive and normotensive subjects presented positive correlations between taste sensitivity and the different measures of salt intake. To conclude, a positive correlation exists between taste threshold and salt intake and both seem to be higher among hypertensive subjects. The combined use of methods of self-report and assessment of taste thresholds can be useful in health promotion and rehabilitation programs, by screening subjects at higher risk of elevated salt intake and the critical dietary behaviors to be targeted as well to evaluate the result of targeted interventions.

Revisão: metodologias para análise da sensibilidade gustativa ao sal

The assessment of gustatory sensibility to salt is applied both in healthcare and in sensory analysis in the area of Food Science and Technology, to evaluate the taste and identify several origins of ageusia and hypogeusia, and notably to identify individuals at risk or who present a high salt intake. The adoption of an accurate and reproducible method to evaluate the taste threshold for salt would contribute to its widespread use. This integrative review aims to describe the methodologies employed to assess the detection threshold and recognition of sodium chloride. The databases used were CINAHAL, LILACS and MEDLINE and the keywords: taste threshold, sodium chloride and salt. Twenty-seven articles from 1985 to 2009 were identified and 29 tests were used to analyze the threshold. The majority of the articles used stimulation of the whole mouth (75.9%), followed by topical application on the tongue (24.1%), applying the solution to parts of the tongue (10.3%), electrogustometry (6.4%), impregnated disc (3.4%) and vacuum application (3.4%). There was considerable variability in the methodological procedures and important information was missing in some of them. The articles did not present the basis for the sample size, and the selection criteria for the panellists were extremely varied. Thus reproducibility of the studies and comparison of the articles was difficult. Benchmarking between different methods of evaluation of the taste threshold for salt with respect to their reproducibility could provide benefit in the choice of the most appropriate method to be employed in research and clinical practice.

Reliability of a Simple Method for Determining Salt Taste Detection and Recognition Thresholds

The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of a rapid analytical method to determine salt taste detection and recognition thresholds based on the ASTM E679 method. Reliability was evaluated according to criterion of temporal stability with a 1-week interval test-retest, with 29 participants. Thresholds were assessed by using the 3-AFC technique with 15 ascending concentrations of salt solution (1-292 mM, 1.5-fold steps) and estimated by 2 approaches: individual (geometric means) and group (graphical) thresholds. The proportion of agreement between the test and retest results was estimated using intraclass coefficient correlations. The detection and recognition thresholds calculated by the geometric mean were 2.8 and 18.6mM at session 1 and 2.3 and 14.5mM at session 2 and according to the graphical approach, 2.7 and 18.6mM at session 1 and 1.7 and 16.3mM at session 2. The proportion of agreement between test and retest for the detection and recognition thresholds was 0.430 (95% CI: 0.080-0.680) and 0.660 (95% CI: 0.400-0.830). This fast and simple method to assess salt taste detection and recognition thresholds demonstrated satisfactory evidence of reliability and it could be useful for large population studies.