How to add saltiness?

[Andrew Freeman]

I was hoping to try making a few things that I would want to add a little salty flavor to, if possible...is there any way to do this?

Or something like tajin, that mexican chili salt you put on fruit...

Any ideas, or anything out there that can help me out?

 

[Rin13]

People have been using NaCl... Specifically, the medicinal kind... but you probably want to research it first. It's basically salt in a liquid form. I believe most people use it for nasal issues or something. Someone gave me some so I really don't know

 

[Blkwdw86]

Don't be afraid to experiment. I'm not.

Word to the wise: salt does not dissolve in VG, even heated. Solubility in PG is even worse. Salt has to be dissolved in distilled water.

Use plain salt, no iodine, sea salt, rock salt, etc.

 

[Steaming EMT]

use saline water is almost odorless and salty.
NaCI is used at the hospitals is used to be infused intravenously and it has a strong taste and odor I would not use it on a liquid it does not only contain salt and water also other ingredients to help increase blood volume and nutrients to it.

 

[we2rcool]

We have been using 9-10% sterile saline solution (0.9%) in our mixes for months now.

--Do NOT use any kind of "table salt" or natural salt (even without added iodine, etc., natural salt is not 'pure salt' and has many unknown impurities. If you're going to make a solution, use only USP Sodium Chloride

--Agree 100% with Blkwdw86 - salt will NOT dissolve in VG or PG. It must be dissolved in distilled water first.

--Adding sterile saline solution (.9% dilution - commonly available for hydration; irrigation of wounds & sinus/nasal passages; and for use in nebulizers for lung treatements) will NOT add a salt taste. We have never tasted 'salt' in any of our mixes or when we vape the base without flavoring.

--Adding sterile saline solution will enhance flavors and help to hydrate mouth, nose & lungs.

Ours is from a local drugstore/pharmacy (there are dozens of options on Amazon) - maker: Baxter

The label:

Baxter

Not for Injection

0.9% Sodium Choride Irrigation, USP

Each 100 ml contains: 900 mg Sodium Choride, USP. No antimicrobial agent has been added. pH 5.5 (4.5 to 7.0) Osmolarity 308 mOsmol/L (calc.). Sterile, nonpyrogenic,
Pour Bottle. Isotonic solution for irrigation only.​

(the reason they have to say it's for "irrigation only" is because this is not the type of 'saline solution' to be used via IV. Also, there's no antimicrobial agent added. PG & VG are antimicrobial)

--We've used three different 'brands' of .9% sterile saline solution; none had an odor.

--How much salt are we talking in laymans terms? If one used a .9% solution at 9-10% in their juices, they'd be using approximately 1/4 teaspoon of pure salt spread throughout 1 liter of finished juice (1000 mls - so over 33 30ml bottles). I've read of folks using much less than 9-10%...but we're very happy with that percentage.

--We are not the only vapers that use sterile saline for DIY! We discovered it in this thread: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/268760-diy-master-techniques-flavor-add-ons-em-vw-bw-mts-acv-ect-2.html#post9340969 (starting around Post #49) ...and we're very happy we did.

In fact, there's no doubt in our mind that it's one of the 'proprietary ingredients' used by juice vendors that makes their flavors "pop".

 

[yo han]

--Do NOT use any kind of "table salt" or natural salt (even without added iodine, etc., natural salt is not 'pure salt' and has many unknown impurities. If you're going to make a solution, use only USP Sodium Chloride

You're being overly careful, which is OK, but using sterile saline is just a waste of money. Your mixing gear isn't sterile, your bottles aren't sterile, your PG/VG isn't sterile and your flavors aren't sterile. There's nothing wrong with using table salt. We're talking an 0.9% solution here which, when used at a 10% strength, leaves only 0.09% of salt in the final mix. Taking a 5 minute walk down a city street will probably make you inhale 1000 times more "impurities".

 

[Spazzer]

We're talking an 0.9% solution here which, when used at a 10% strength, leaves only 0.09% of salt in the final mix. Taking a 5 minute walk down a city street will probably make you inhale 1000 times more "impurities".

So true.

Another way to look at it is 0.09% is 9 parts per 10000. A miniscule amount of salt. And any impurities would be at least an order of magnitude smaller.

 

[BadNewsBert]

Table salt has anti-caking agents in it. Don't know much about the hazards of vaping that, but I am much more comfortable spending $4.99 for a decent sized bottle of sterile saline solution. It will last you months at the least.

 

[we2rcool]

You're being overly careful, which is OK, but using sterile saline is just a waste of money. Your mixing gear isn't sterile, your bottles aren't sterile, your PG/VG isn't sterile and your flavors aren't sterile. There's nothing wrong with using table salt. We're talking an 0.9% solution here which, when used at a 10% strength, leaves only 0.09% of salt in the final mix. Taking a 5 minute walk down a city street will probably make you inhale 1000 times more "impurities".

We're not using it for the sterility - we're using premixed USP saline solution to ensure the salt itself is pure & additive free...
--which keeps equipment free of build-up
--to ensure our recipes/juices aren't affected inconsistently by the taste (or chemical reactions) caused by the various trace minerals & impurities in typical "salt" (even minuscule amount of 'unknown' can cause slight reactions)
--we use the saline solution to hydrate our eyes (as we both have 'dry eyes' since starting to vape
--and for the convenience

 

[we2rcool]

So true.

Another way to look at it is 0.09% is 9 parts per 10000. A miniscule amount of salt. And any impurities would be at least an order of magnitude smaller.

This is very true - however, even that wee-tiny bit of salt makes a significant difference in the flavor of our juices. Natural trace minerals, added flow agents and environmental impurities in typical salts could (albeit slightly) throw off a recipe/result. In our estimation, we've already got too many variables at play.

 

[Blkwdw86]

Morton makes a USP pure salt. Unfortunately, they only package it in quantities that only someone with serious issues would contemplate purchasing. Smaller portions can be found here and there. I found a 1 cup bag for $7 somewhere, Google is your friend.

Small amounts of salt, like in cooking, bring sweet flavors alive. There's a reason cake has salt in it. But only a tiny amount is needed for that, .9% is plenty.

To create an actual salty flavor, however, will require higher concentrations. Unfortunately, no one has proffered their experience in creating salty flavors. I'm working on a bacon flavor, I'll report back with the results of the concentration I used as soon as I can test it. (Still steeping.)

 

[yo han]

I'm working on a bacon flavor, I'll report back with the results of the concentration I used as soon as I can test it. (Still steeping.)

Yummie! You wouldn't happen to have an egg flavor to go with it would you?

 

[kazz63758]

We have been using 9-10% sterile saline solution (0.9%) in our mixes for months now.


...--Adding sterile saline solution will enhance flavors and help to hydrate mouth, nose & lungs.

...In fact, there's no doubt in our mind that it's one of the 'proprietary ingredients' used by juice vendors that makes their flavors "pop".

This sounds intriguing. May I ask how much of the 0.9% saline you use in a batch of juice? (either a percentage or amount added in a X sized bottle)

Thanks! I look forward to giving it a try.

edit: Just re-read your original post. Do you use 9-10% of the saline in your mixes? Thanks!

 

[FinallyQuit]

Regarding the bacon flavor, I have a bottle I received in trade. It's more like cold grease, kinda smells "smoked" but absolutely not salty at all.

 

[we2rcool]

This sounds intriguing. May I ask how much of the 0.9% saline you use in a batch of juice? (either a percentage or amount added in a X sized bottle)

Thanks! I look forward to giving it a try.

edit: Just re-read your original post. Do you use 9-10% of the saline in your mixes? Thanks!

Just confirming...

Yes, we make a big batch of "VG base" which is 80% VG; 9% distilled water; 9% saline solution and 2% PGA. We plug that into the calculator as "VG".

Keep in mind, the amount of salt in a .9% dilution is minuscule. There's only 1/4 teaspoon of salt in 1000ml of .9% saline solution...so if we used it at 10%, that'd be spreading 1/4 teaspoon of salt throughout thirty three 30ml bottles. CORRECTION! I miscalculated for 100ml, not 1000ml. There's approximately 2+ teaspoons (of our salt on our scale) in 1000ml .9% solution! 'Sorry for any confusion!

So although it may seem 'extreme', it's really not at all. And those of using only VG (or high VG) need to dilute it anyway. Why not use something that enhances flavor and helps to hydrate our mouth? It's a DIY win-win

 

[kazz63758]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. LOL, actually I wasn't concerned about the salt content so much as the 10% water. I mix 30 or 60 ml bottles in a 70pg/30vg ratio. 10% water would definitely throw my calculations off.

Anyway, this gives me a starting point. Got some "figuring" to do...

Again, thanks for the reply!

 

[Lyndagayle]

I put a tablespoon of sea salt with no additives into a 30 ml cobalt blue dropper bottle and filled with PG. I shook and shook but it never dissolved. I set it aside after a few days, thinking I'd dump it so I could use the bottle for other things. A couple of months later I happened to notice that the salt had dissolved! I use a drop or two in most of my mixes. It really wakes up my toffee recipe.

 

[we2rcool]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. LOL, actually I wasn't concerned about the salt content so much as the 10% water. I mix 30 or 60 ml bottles in a 70pg/30vg ratio. 10% water would definitely throw my calculations off.

Anyway, this gives me a starting point. Got some "figuring" to do...

Again, thanks for the reply!

Cool deal! In case you don't already know it, salt doesn't dissolve (easily) in VG or PG - it's much easier to dissolve it in water first, and then add the VG or PG.

 

[we2rcool]

I put a tablespoon of sea salt with no additives into a 30 ml cobalt blue dropper bottle and filled with PG. I shook and shook but it never dissolved. I set it aside after a few days, thinking I'd dump it so I could use the bottle for other things. A couple of months later I happened to notice that the salt had dissolved! I use a drop or two in most of my mixes. It really wakes up my toffee recipe.

All salt (unless purified) has all manner of impurities - whether there are "additives" or not...sea salt is particularly bad. And these impurities are oft times what's responsible for the corrosion most attribute to the salt itself. I can't imagine that being good for coils.

Of course, everyone is free to do/mix whatever they'd prefer, but I'd only use USP sodium chloride if I were making a solution for vaping. In fact, I'm looking for a source now

 

[we2rcool]

I put a tablespoon of sea salt with no additives into a 30 ml cobalt blue dropper bottle and filled with PG. I shook and shook but it never dissolved. I set it aside after a few days, thinking I'd dump it so I could use the bottle for other things. A couple of months later I happened to notice that the salt had dissolved! I use a drop or two in most of my mixes. It really wakes up my toffee recipe.

It's amazing how salt 'wakes up' the flavors - even though it can't be tasted.

'Glad to hear it works for ya!