Appears in
Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets

By Darra Goldstein

Published 2015

  • About

salt, technically known as sodium chloride (NaCl), is one of the most important compounds in the human body. The International Journal of Food Science & Technology summarizes salt as a flavor enhancer due to its effect on different biochemical mechanisms. Salt regulates fluids in the body, assists in proper function of the adrenal glands, stabilizes heartbeats, balances sugar levels, aids in muscle contraction and expansion, and helps with communication within the nervous system. In the perception of taste, its role is essential. Without salt, the tongue would detect only the basic flavors of food.