Salt of the Earth has developed a new, clean-label sodium-reduction ingredient for snack applications.

According to the Israeli firm, reducing the amount of salt in snacks is an on-trend task for snack companies with the COVID-19 pandemic leading to a rise in snacking.

According to a newly published report by John Lewis and Waitrose, UK consumers have changed their shopping and eating behaviour during the lockdown, with 38% of the consumers admitting to increased snacking.

And, according to the New York Times, for many people, strict personal rules for food adopted before the quarantine have eased, and they are reaching for foods that trigger a comforting childhood memory or are simply a go-to snack to relieve stress.

Mediterranean Umami Powder is based on Salt of the Earth’s all-natural Mediterranean Umami microencapsulated onto a carrier of sea-salt and native starch.

This new sodium reduction ingredient is designed as a 1:1 dro-in replacement for salt in snack applications, yielding a 40% reduction in sodium.

Mediterranean Umami, is a clean-label, plant-based solution designed to maintain the desired savory taste that consumers crave.

“One of the key requirements was to maintain a craveable salty and savoury flavour as well as being a natural and clean-label ingredient,” says David Hart, Business Unit Director for Salt of the Earth.

“Since snack foods typically have a relatively high amount of sodium, Mediterranean Umami powder can provide up to 40% reduction in sodium, or be used incrementally, in order to allow for a significant but lesser reduction in the amount of sodium in the snacks.

“When incorporated as an addition to a seasoning blend, it can then be applied to the snacks using dusting, tumbling, or oil slurry technologies.”

He added: “The powder is a focused solution and does an amazing job cutting sodium in snacks without sacrificing flavour. It currently is being used by an iconic multinational brand, and we are on track to multiply this success globally.”