Sensory perception in the replacement of NaCl by MSG in fish burgers

In meat products, sodium chloride (NaCl) simultaneously promotes different functionalities, such as modifying the osmotic pressure and the consequent reduction of microbial growth, solubilization of proteins and the improvement of sensory attributes. Although the recognized technological importance, there is increasing pressure to reduce sodium in food. Accordingly, strategies have emerged aiming at replacing part of the NaCl in food formulations, including the replacement of NaCl with monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is one of the compounds responsible for the fifth basic taste, also known as umami. The present study aimed to evaluate the sensory perception in the replacement of NaCl with MSG in different formulations of fish burgers through a ranking test and word association. The results indicated that it is possible to replace up to 50% NaCl with MSG without compromising the sensory quality of the fish product and that the cognitive word association technique proved to be an important tool in the perception of fish burgers formulated with different concentrations of NaCl and MSG.