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

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.