Yeast Extract: A Potential Substitute of Salt in Baked Crackers

Yeast extract (YE) is a natural product that can be easily produced and has the advantage to be edible and to have a salty taste. It can be used as a food additive to give Umami taste, to intensify flavor and to give saltiness. YE can be produced naturally by autolysis, (a self lysis of the yeast cells) when incubated for four days at 45°C for the yeast cells to release their cytoplasmic content. YE is low in calories and fat, high in proteins, nucleotides and glutamic acid. It is used by food companies and restaurants as an aromatic ingredient in various applications such as soups, sauces, seasonings, snacks, ready meals and meats. The main objective of this study is to reduce the salt concentration and replace it by the edible YE in the salty crackers. In our experiment, salt concentration was reduced by 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% and replaced with YE. Physico-chemical properties of the product were investigated and sensory evaluation was performed by a set of 25 panelists. Triangle test and consumers' acceptance test were performed by comparing experimental sample against the control containing 100% salt. Obtained results supported the hypothesis; the taste of samples with 50% reduced salt showed no difference compared to those made using YE. The panelists gave the latter sample six points out of nine on hedonic scale. Our findings demonstrated that YE can be potentially used as a partial substitute of table salt.