Abstract: As an indispensable seasoning in the daily diet of residents, salt plays an important role in the food industry, which has multiple functions including imparting saltiness to foods, improving food texture, and inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. However, excessive salt intake may increase the risk of many chronic diseases such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. This paper provides a summary of the current status of salt intake in different countries and the health risks associated with high-sodium diets, focusing on the major strategies for salt reduction in foods and their underlying principles including the use of salt substitutes, multi-sensory enhancement of saltiness perception, optimization of salt crystal structure, food structure design, and the application of emerging processing technologies to assist in salt reduction. In addition, various methods for evaluating saltiness are summarized and analyzed, with the aim of promoting the development and application of healthy low-sodium food products.

Key words: salt reduction; salt substitutes; multi-sensory integration; food structure design; salty taste assessment