Suggested are preparations, comprising or consisting of (a) C-methyl flavonoids, a salt of C-methyl flavonoids and/or an extract containing C-methyl flavonoids, and (b) at least one inorganic salt or mineral substance.

Provided is a technology to enhance the saltiness of food. The saltiness of food is enhanced by adding the following ingredients (A) to (D): (A) potassium chloride; (B) arginine or a salt thereof; (C) lysine or a salt thereof; and (D) a nucleic acid-containing yeast extract.

The present invention relates to a tea beverage that contains (a) an amount of a natural sugar corresponding to a sweetness intensity X1, (b) an amount of a high-sweetness sweetener corresponding to a sweetness intensity X2, (c) less than 50 mg of sodium per 100 ml of said tea beverage, and (d) 0.1-32 mg of potassium per 100 ml and/or 0.1-32 mg of calcium per 100 ml of said tea beverage. The high-sweetness sweetener includes at least one high-sweetness sweetener b1 selected from the group consisting of rebaudioside M, rebaudioside D, rebaudioside N, rebaudioside O, rebaudioside E, a Siraitia grosvenorii extract, mogroside V, and thaumatin. The tea beverage satisfies 0.1<(X1+X2)≤20.

Provided is an enzymatic process that hydrolyzes celery plant material to form a salt-enhancing ingredient, the formed salt-enhancing ingredient, food products comprising said salt-enhancing ingredient and a method of enhancing the salty taste of food products.

A salty taste enhancing peptide derived from dry-cured ham is provided, and the amino acid sequences thereof are Asp-Leu; Phe-Met-Ser-Ala-Leu-Phe, as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; and His-Val-Arg-Arg-Lys, as shown in SEQ ID NO: 2. The salty taste enhancing peptide in the present disclosure is of small molecular weight, features easy separation and purification, has strong salty taste enhancing effect and simple sequences, and is easy to synthesize, therefore, the salty taste enhancing peptide can be applied to the fields of food, health products, medicine and biology, and is expected to replace salt substitute products currently available on the market.

A flavor composition containing at least one, two, three, four, five or more peptide compound(s) that can be used to enhance the taste of edible compositions including sweet goods, such as confectionery goods, and savory goods, such as pet foods.

[Problem to be Solved]

Although potassium lactate is expected as a substitute for salt, it was revealed to impair noodle making properties. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to produce instant noodles to which a salty taste owing to potassium lactate is imparted, and which has good texture.

[Solution]

The present inventors found that an adverse effect of potassium lactate caused during noodle making can be suppressed by adding potassium lactate after noodle making of noodle strings. Thus, the present invention was accomplished so that a salty taste owing to potassium lactate can be imparted and texture of noodles can be retained.

Making a salt substitute includes forming a salt substitute precursor, providing the salt substitute precursor to a centrifuge, and centrifuging the salt substitute precursor to yield a salt substitute in the form of a solid and a centrate. The salt substitute precursor includes water, a chloride salt, a food grade acid, and an anticaking agent. The chloride salt includes potassium chloride. A pH of the salt substitute precursor is between 2 and 4, and the salt substitute precursor is a saturated or supersaturated solution, a suspension, or a slurry. The salt substitute includes a chloride salt, a food grade acid, and an anticaking agent. The salt substitute includes potassium chloride and is in the form of a crystalline solid including at least 95 wt % of the chloride salt, up to 1 wt % of the food grade acid, and up to 1 wt % of the anticaking agent.

A flavor composition comprising a peptide which comprises pyroglutamic acid or -glutamic acid, a second amino acid and optionally a third amino acid. The peptides can be added to a food product to increase saltiness, umami, bitterness, astringency or sourness intensity.

A flavor composition containing at least one dipeptide or tripeptide compound that can be used to enhance the taste of edible compositions including sweet goods, such as confectionery goods, and savory goods, such as pet foods.