What question did this study set out to answer?

To investigate how a supercritical extract of Zanthoxylum bungeanum enhances saltiness perception and supports sodium reduction.

February 2, 2026

Cross-Modal Saltiness Enhancement by the Supercritical Extract of Zanthoxylum bungeanum : Evidence from Sensory Evaluation, EEG, and Taste Bud Cell Analysis

Key Points

To investigate how a supercritical extract of Zanthoxylum bungeanum enhances saltiness perception and supports sodium reduction.
Conducted sensory evaluation and psychophysical assessments on participants with different salt sensitivities.
Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) to analyze neural responses during saltiness perception.
Performed sanshool component analysis and molecular validation in rat taste bud cells.
Moderate SCZ significantly enhances saltiness perception at optimal NaCl concentrations.
Numbness sensation was identified as a contributing factor to the enhancement of saltiness.
Hydroxyl-α-sanshool (HαSS) was revealed as the key bioactive compound linking sensory and neural pathways.

Abstract

Excessive sodium chloride (NaCl) intake is associated with adverse health outcomes, highlighting the urgent need for effective salt reduction strategies. This study investigated the cross-modal interaction between saltiness and numbness induced by a supercritical carbon dioxide extract from Zanthoxylum bungeanum (SCZ) in individuals with varying saltiness sensitivities. Integrating psychophysical evaluations, electroencephalography (EEG), sanshool component analysis, and molecular validation in rat taste bud cells, we demonstrated that moderate SCZ enhances saltiness perception and facilitates NaCl reduction without compromising perceived intensity. This effect involves numbness and modulation of taste and trigeminal pathways, with optimal efficacy at intermediate NaCl concentrations in semisensitive cohorts. We identified hydroxyl-α-sanshool (HαSS) as the key bioactive compound, which binds to T1R1/T1R3 and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) to activate downstream taste signaling. In conclusion, SCZ enhances saltiness perception via cross-modal mechanisms, providing a strategy for sodium reduction and original insights into the neurobiological basis of salt taste perception.

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Cite This Study

Gao et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6980fbf6c1c9540dea80db5d https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5c13614

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