Partial substitution of sodium with potassium in white bread: feasibility and bioavailability

A high sodium intake, to which bread makes a major contribution, and a low potassium intake are believed to be important factors in the promotion of cardiovascular disease. Our aims was to determine to what extent salts of potassium could substitute sodium chloride and potassium-rich soya flour could replace wheat flour without detrimental effect on acceptability, and to measure the bioavailability of a potassium salt added to bread. A single-blind organoleptic evaluation was carried out on eight different potassium-enriched breads by 41 panellists. Thereafter, six volunteers consumed standard or potassium-chloride-fortified bread in an 11-day single-blind cross-over feeding trial to determine the bioavailability of the supplemental potassium. Two breads in which 30% of the sodium was replaced by potassium salts, and bread in which 10% of wheat flour was replaced with soy flour, had acceptability scores similar to the standard bread. In the metabolic study a supplement of 22 mmol/day potassium chloride incorporated into the bread was found to be wholly bioavailable. A substantial reduction in sodium and an increase in potassium intake could be achieved by substituting potassium salts for sodium chloride in bread.