Acceptability of the taste of low sodium preparations with salt substitutes in diabetic and hypertensive patients

The purpose of this experimental study was to compare the acceptability of the taste between different preparations with low sodium in diabetic and hypertensive patients. It was conducted between April and May 2015 at the Centro de Atención Integral de Diabetes e Hipertensión (CEDHI) in Lima, Peru. Sixty-seven outpatient subjects from CEDHI were assessed; they were over 18 years of age, of both genders, diagnosed with hypertension or type 2 diabetes. In total 134 sensory tests were applied and 402 prepared food samples. The evaluated samples were rice, broth, chicken and cooked vegetables that were added with common salt, potassium chloride [25%] with salt [75%] and monosodium glutamate. In order to measure the results two hedonic tests were applied, ordered by preference and acceptability test (score of 1 to 5) were used. No significant global differences were found regarding the acceptability and preference in low sodium preparations. Therefore, the replacement of common salt by any of the substitutes is viable for patient’s prescribed low-sodium diet (1500 mg Na / day).