The taste tests examined the use of Sunkist lemon juice and lemon zest in various dishes, including meat, grains, soups and salads. After creating control dishes, recipes were re-created using salt in decreasing amounts along with lemon juice and zest to find the ideal combination. Test dishes were made adding lemon juice only, lemon zest only, and a combination of lemon juice and lemon zest to the reduced-salt dishes.
With the average American consuming twice the recommended amount of sodium, and high sodium intake linked to high blood pressure, cancer and osteoporosis, increased use of lemons could play a major role in reducing Americans' dependence on the salt shaker. For many years, Sunkist has been encouraging consumers to choose all-natural lemons over salt to flavour their food as part of the Sunkist S'alternative program, which provides low-sodium tips and S'alternative recipes using Sunkist lemons.
While each taste test participant quickly identified the no-salt added recipes, the use of Sunkist lemons with reduced sodium produced a more flavourful dish. Most participants actually preferred recipes made with reduced salt and added lemon juice and zest to the original full-salt recipes.
Additional research results include:
- Using lemon juice and zest in vegetable recipes allows for a potential 75 percent reduction in sodium per recipe
- Incorporating lemon juice and zest in recipes for pork tenderloin, tuna, halibut and salad dressing allows for a potential 50 percent reduction in sodium per recipe
- Adding lemon zest to dry rubs for meats like chicken and beef allows for a potential 30 percent reduction in sodium per recipe
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Cordon Bleu-certified Chef and best-selling author of "Clean Eating for Busy Families," Michelle Dudash, has created new recipes incorporating the optimal blends of Sunkist lemon juice, zest and salt discovered from the taste tests. For those recipes, additional tips, and more information about Sunkist S'alternative, visit www.sunkistsalternative.com.
For more information:
Joan Wickham
Sunkist
Tel: +1 818-379-7430
Email: jwickham@sunkistgrowers.com