Delicious heart-healthy bread makes its debut

Published: 28 September 2025

A tasty new bread recipe developed in the kitchen at the University of Otago could help reduce high blood pressure, a condition affecting a million New Zealanders and a major risk factor for heart disease.

With funding from the Heart Foundation in 2024, Professor Rachael McLean and her team from the University of Otago have created a heart-healthier bread with reduced sodium and more potassium, without compromising on flavour or texture.

A diet that contains too much sodium (salt) or too little potassium (primarily from fruit and vegetables) can increase blood pressure. However, replacing ordinary table salt with a salt substitute that has reduced sodium and added potassium can help reduce blood pressure.  

“We used the food science laboratory to test several concentrations of potassium salt substitute in bread and formally assess the physical qualities of the bread as well as its taste,” Rachael says. 

She says potassium, while beneficial, can sometimes leave a metallic aftertaste, so fine-tuning the recipe was essential. After formal sensory testing in the lab, the next step is to trial the bread in the community.

The team will work with Puketeraki Marae, north of Dunedin, where local kaumātua and whānau will incorporate the new bread into their meals. 

The research project has been a great collaboration.

“It represents a unique collaboration between public health and food science, with contributions from PhD student Nan Hu and experts in formulation and sensory analysis.”

Heart Foundation Medical Director Dr Gerry Devlin says the research grant reflects the Heart Foundation’s commitment to supporting simple solutions that can be applied to everyday foods, like bread, to support heart health.

He says this research aligns with the Heart Foundation’s broader efforts to improve New Zealand’s food supply by reducing salt and sugar content of everyday foods through its Food Reformulation programme.