Korean Company Launches World’s First Plant-Based Salt That Is Low In Sodium & Microplastic-Free

South Korean plant-based producer PhytoCo has officially launched its world-first plant-based salt - PhytoSalt.

PhytoCo has been developing a range of products from the salt-accumulating plant Salicornia which is also known as sea bean or sea asparagus.

According to the company, PhytoSalt is low-sodium and microplastic-free and it's healthier compared to regular salt. Sea salt contains high levels of microplastics and hormones, and table salt contains over 99% of sodium chloride, a major issue in high blood pressure problems.

“PhytoSalt is a salt product for health-conscious consumers – it is naturally low-sodium enabling it to reduce the sodium content of food products by 20%, it has been scientifically proven to be effective on blood pressure, and it is 100% microplastics-free as the Salicornia plant cell membrane can filter out microplastics in seawater,” PhytoCo CEO and President Duke Kim told FoodNavigator-Asia. 

“Best of all, it does all this while giving the same salty taste as regular salt, so consumers do not need to compromise on taste or flavour," he added.

PhytoSalt contains natural ingredients and minerals such as potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium chloride and iron. It can be used as regular salt in all the foods that need to have salt added such as bread, cakes, snacks, pasta, soups. 

“It is especially good for use with salty snacks such as chips, crackers, pretzels, and french fries, and we also recommend it for use as a sports drink – it is rich in essential minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron, so if you drunk with water after sweating, it can replenish the electrolytes that have escaped with sweat,” says Kim.  

The PhytoSalt manufacturing process is more controllable in terms of salt content and intensity.

“PhytoSalt is extracted from Salicornia using the technology principle of what we call the ‘Effect of Temperature on Solubility’ – how we do it enables the salt content and taste of PhytoSalt to be controlled as preferred,” said Kim.

The company has launched PhytoSalt in South Korea first, but soon the product will be available in other countries including Japan, China, Europe and the United States, both in the supermarkets and online.

The company also plans to deliver PhytoSalt in bigger packaging to global food manufacturers.