Potassium chloride, taste

In salt substitutes, the metallic or bitter taste of potassium chloride is often masked by other ingredients, such as the amino acid L-lysine, tricalcium phosphate, citric acid, and glutamic acid. 

One might suppose on the basis of the amount of attention PTC has received that it is quite a unique substance in its ability to elicit different responses from different individuals. Actually this is not the case at all since wide interindividual differences in taste threshold and taste reactions can be observed with almost anything that can be tasted. Hundred-fold variations in taste thresholds are very common (even when small groups are studied) with respect to substances like sodium or potassium chlorides or hydrochloric acid.41 Saccharine, quinine, cascara, and mannose are among the substances, in addition to creatine mentioned above, for which individuals are known to show highly diverse taste reactions.42 Richter found some children who could not taste 20 per cent sugar solutions.43... 

Reduction of the sodium chloride level can result in taste problems and flavour shifts. There are several approaches to maintain salt taste. Most often, potassium chloride is used, because it shows the most prominent salty taste of those applicable inorganic salts. Lithium chloride is the most salty salt but cannot be used for toxicological reasons. Most consumers, however, complain about the bitter, chalky taste of KCl-containing formulations. Development of sodium-reduced products using mineral salts is a challenge and the whole product formula has often to be adapted [25]. Therefore, the main focus of the research was the search for masking compounds or technologies to cover the bad taste of KCl, e.g. phenolic acids and derivatives [26] and lactisol [27]. 

Chloride. Potassium chloride, [CAS 7447-40-7]. KC1, colorless or white crystals strong saline taste. Occurs naturally as sylvite. Soluble in water slightly soluble in alcohol. Sp. gr. 1.987 mp 772VC sublimes at 1500ftC noncombustible low toxicity, Used in fertilizers, as a source of potassium salts pharmaceutical preparations photography spectroscopy plant nutrient salt substitute laboratory reagent. See also Fertilizer,... 

There are a few elements in these two groups that sometimes cause health problems because they are very similar to nearby elements. For instance, a toxic type of strontium can increase the risk of bone cancer and leukemia. Strontium, just one space below calcium in the table, is so similar to calcium that the body is sometimes fooled into absorbing it like calcium in bones and teeth. The similarities between elements can also be useful, as in the case of potassium chloride. People with high blood pressure and certain heart or kidney diseases need less sodium in their diets to stay healthy. Instead of sprinkling regular table salt or sodium chloride on their meals, they may use potassium chloride for a very similar salty taste. 

The other electrolytes, unfortunately, don t taste as good. We don t sprinkle potassium chloride on our popcorn or put it on the rims of margarita glasses, although we might want to get into the habit of consuming more potassium, as well as more calcium and magnesium. 

Potassium chloride occurs as odorless, colorless crystals or a white crystalline powder, with an unpleasant, saline taste. The crystal lattice is a face-centered cubic structure. 

High localized concentrations of potassium chloride in the gastrointestinal tract can cause ulceration, hence the development of the many enteric-coated and wax matrix sustained-release preparations that are available.Although it is claimed that some formulations cause less ulceration than others, it is often preferred to administer potassium chloride as an aqueous solution. However, solutions have also been associated with problems, mainly due to their unpleasant taste. 

Fove DW, Foster TS, Bradley DF. Comparison of the taste and acceptance of three potassium chloride preparations. Am J Hosp Pharm 1978 35(5) 586-588. 

Potassium chloride elixir Inexpensive, poor taste, poor compliance, immediate effect... 

Potassium chloride (KCI) is used as a salt substitute because it has a taste similar to that of salt. ... 

Potassium chloride (poe-TAS-ee-yum KLOR-ide) occurs as a white or colorless crystalline solid or powder. It is odorless, but has a strong saline (salty) taste. It occurs naturally in the minerals sylvite, carnallite, kainite, and sylvinite. It also occurs in sea water at a concentration of about 0.076 percent (grams per milliliter of solution). Potassium chloride is the most abundant compound of the element potassium and has the greatest number of applications of any salt of potassium. By far the most important application of potassium chloride is in the manufacture of fertilizers. 

Characters and Tests.—Colourless, rhomhoidal crystalline plates, cool saline taste, sparingly soluble in cold water. Its aqueous solution is not affected by silver nitrate or ammonium oxalate. Strongly heated, it fuses, gives off oxygen gas, and leaves a white residue (potassium chloride), which readily dissolves in water, and produces a solution which yields a white precipitate (silver chloride) with silver nitrate, indicating the presence of chlorine, and a yellow precipitate (potassium-platinic chloride) with platinum chloride, showing the presence of potassium. It explodes when triturated in a mortar with sulphur. ... 

Microencapsulation is common in pharmaceutical industry, particularly when sustained release of a medication is required. Ethyl cellulose is a common coating material. Most capsules are formed by solvent evaporation, polymer-polymer phase separation, or fluidized-bed coating process. Common examples of encapsulated drugs include aspirin, acetaminophen, ampidlhn, and potassium chloride. Orally administered capsules serve to conceal an unpleasant taste and reduce gastrointestinal irritation that can be caused by oral unencapsulated drug. 

For persons on sodium restricted diets, a 1 1 mixture of table salt (NaCI) and potassium chloride (KCI) for salting foods will lessen the sodium intake without a change in taste. However, excessive use of dietary potassium should be avoided due to toxic effects at high levels. 

Table 2 Hsts examples of compounds with taste and their associated sensory quaUties. Sour taste is primarily produced by the presence of hydrogen ion slightly modified by the types of anions present in the solution, eg, acetic acid is more sour than citric acid at the same pH or molar concentration (43). Saltiness is due to the salts of alkaU metals, the most common of which is sodium chloride. However, salts such as cesium chloride and potassium iodide are bitter potassium bromide has a mixed taste, ie, salty and bitter (44). Thus saltiness, like sourness, is modified by the presence of different anions but is a direct result of a small number of cations.

Seawater. Salt extraction from seawater is done by most countries having coastlines and weather conducive to evaporation. Seawater is evaporated in a series of concentration ponds until it is saturated with sodium chloride. At this point over 90% of the water has been removed, and some impurities, CaSO and CaCO, have been crystallized. This brine, now saturated in NaCl, is transferred to crystallizer ponds where salt precipitates on the floor of the pond as more water evaporates. Brine left over from the salt crystallizers is called bitterns because of its bitter taste. Bitterns is high in MgCl2, MgSO, and KCl. In some isolated cases, eg, India and China, magnesium and potassium compounds have been commercially extracted, but these represent only a small fraction of total world production. 

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