Not a Mix-Up: Why people are adding salt to their coffee instead of sugar

People who drink coffee are quite creative. From no-foam lattes to affogato, they constantly think of new ways to include caffeine in their lives. In the latest trend, coffee drinkers are adding a tiny spoon of salt to their coffee in order to improve its flavour. Despite how strange it may sound, science supports the trend. Let’s take a look. Also read: From controlling acne to protection against sun: 5 benefits of coffee for skin Salt in coffee = Enhanced flavour According to a 1995 article published in Chemical Senses, sodium chloride (salt’s chemical name) has a great ability to reduce bitterness in a variety of foods, including coffee, while actually enhancing their flavour. The study says the genuine bitterness of the coffee is produced during the latter stages of roasting, during which the compound chlorogenic acid lactones and, in darker roasts, phenylindanes, are formed as a result of the breakdown of chlorogenic acid. Different receptors respond to different flavours. A salt receptor epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and bitter taste receptors belong to the TAS2Rs group. In the 1995 study, researchers combined sweet and bitter molecules with salt, which succeeded to make the mixture taste sweeter and less bitter. Notably, the bitter flavour did not mask the flavour of salt. According to Science Alert, the salt receptor detects high quantities of sodium chloride at low concentrations. It is yet unclear exactly how this taste suppression operates. While sugar can only slightly conceal it, salt fully neutralises it. [caption id=“attachment_12547332” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Salt has a great ability to reduce bitterness. Pixabay[/caption] Since salt and other flavours together produce an unpleasant taste, it can also stimulate our taste buds for sour and bitter flavours. While salt shouldn’t be added to every cup of coffee, it can help to mellow the overall flavour if the coffee is particularly bitter. Coffee website Homegrounds quoted specialist pediatric dietitian Clare Thornton-Wood as explaining this process in an article for the Royal Society of Chemistry, “Salt tastes good as it is picked up by receptors on the tongue. It blocks bitter and sour flavours, which is why it’s often added to foods to make them more palatable.” Also read: Avoid coffee, keep gadgets aside: Things to help you sleep comfortably in long flights This is not a new phenomenon There are numerous examples of various civilisations seasoning their coffee. Vietnam is one of the countries where salt is frequently added to coffee to improve its flavour. The result is a wonderful concoction that tastes like caramel. Adding some salted cheese or pork is a Swedish Arctic coffee custom. US Navy personnel used to drink coffee with salt since their saltwater extraction equipment wasn’t entirely effective during World War II. They found that the salt actually helped to lessen the bitterness and improve the flavour of poor-quality, bitter brews, as per Science Alert. Hungary, the Scandinavian nations, Siberia, Turkey, etc. all have a long tradition of producing coffee that includes this practice, according to Homegrounds. There are coastal areas where fresh river water and salty ocean are mingled to make their coffee taste better. Also read: How many cups of coffee or tea you should drink in a day The “Alton Brown” trick According to Homegrounds, the hack of adding salt grew popular after renowned cookbook author and food scientist Alton Brown in a 2009 episode of his show proposed adding a pinch of salt to balance the bitterness of coffee. He believes that one should combine two spoons of ground coffee with half a spoon of kosher salt for every cup of water she/he use to brew coffee. Explaining this method on his Facebook page, the food scientist said, “Not only does salt cut the bitterness, but it also smooths out the “stale” taste of tank-stored water. I’ve taken to adding a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt to every six tablespoons of grounds. That isn’t really enough to taste, but it’ll do the trick. And by the way, research has proven that salt is actually better at neutralizing bitterness than sugar.”

Also read: Less salt intake can lower risk of heart problems Benefits of putting salt in a coffee Inadequate salt intake can also be troublesome, even if excessive salt consumption might be bad for your health. There are many advantages to salt, including increased central nervous system performance, improved muscular relaxation responses, and improved metabolic function. Too much coffee can cause dehydration, but the same can be brought on by a lack of salt in the body. This happens because Caffeine stimulates urine because it has a diuretic effect, and frequent urination lowers salt levels in the body, according to Healthline. Coffee drinkers can combat this by salting their coffee. Additionally, along with making your coffee taste better, salt also makes the (stale) water better. Long-term storage of water in your coffee maker can cause it to spoil. And since the quality of your coffee depends on the quality of your water, using stale water would undoubtedly lower the quality, according to Homegrounds. The quality of the water may therefore be improved by adding salt. The water will get denser as a result, giving your coffee a thicker texture. Additionally, if the coffee is too bitter, salt might be a good substitute for sugar if you need to cut your table sugar intake. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.