Preparation of hollow sodium chloride microspheres by spray drying: Effect of different polysaccharide carriers on salinity sensing performance

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate hollow sodium chloride microspheres with enhanced salinity perception as a strategy to reduce overall salt intake in foods. This experimental systematically evaluated the water content, hygroscopicity, particle size distribution, conductivity, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and electron tongue of hollow salt microspheres prepared from hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD), soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS), maltodextrin (MD), gum arabic (GA), and β-glucan (β-glucan). The results showed that there were significant differences in the characteristics of hollow sodium chloride microspheres prepared by different carriers. The salt microspheres prepared with HP-β-CD as the carrier exhibited low water content (1.89 %), anti-hygroscopicity (1.67 g/100 g), and fast solubility. The conductivity test results showed that the release rate of sodium ions in the salt microspheres prepared with HP-β-CD was nearly six times higher than that of ordinary sodium chloride, which could rapidly evoke the perception of saltiness. EDS analysis further confirmed that the salt microspheres prepared with HP-β-CD carrier had a higher sodium chloride content on the surface (26.25 %), thus contributing to enhancing salty taste perception. In addition, the salt microspheres prepared with soybean-soluble polysaccharide as the carrier showed a perfectly spherical hollow structure, and the caking property was lower than that of the other salt microspheres. The results of the electronic tongue analysis showed that the salt microsphere solution prepared using soybean-soluble polysaccharide had a stronger salty taste perception ability. In summary, the hollow salt microspheres prepared using HP-β-CD and SSPS showed outstanding advantages in salt taste perception properties. In the later stage, the compound ratio between the carriers will be studied, which provides a new technical reference for the salt reduction strategy of the food industry.