To provide a salty taste enhancer which exerts a flavor enhancing effect comparable to sodium chloride without imparting any undesirable flavor such as harsh taste or odd smell, a method for producing the same, a kelp extract comprising the salty taste enhancer, and a food or drink having enhanced salty taste and flavor which comprises the salty taste enhancer or the kelp extract. A salty taste enhancer which comprises a volatile component with a molecular weight of less than 200 derived from a kelp. The volatile component derived from the kelp can be obtained by subjecting a starting kelp to distillation in the presence of a solvent, extraction with a solvent, supercritical extraction or the like. In the volatile components of the kelp thus obtained, those in which the amount of a component with a molecular weight of 200 or more is reduced preferably to less than 60% by weight are used as the salty taste enhancer. In the case of employing the distillation procedure, for example, a liquid distillate obtained by distilling the kelp is collected in fractions. Then, the first half of the fraction containing the volatile component with a molecular weight of less than 200 may be used as the salty taste enhancer.Pour produire un exhausteur de goût salé qui exerce un effet renforçant une saveur comparable à celle du chlorure de sodium sans conférer une quelconque saveur indésirable, par exemple un goût âpre ou une odeur bizarre, linvention concerne un procédé permettant de le produire, un extrait de kombu comprenant lexhausteur de goût salé, et un aliment ou une boisson dun goût salé renforcé et dune saveur qui comprend lexhausteur de goût salé ou lextrait de kombu. Linvention concerne un exhausteur de goût salé qui comprend un composant volatil dun poids moléculaire inférieur à 200 dérivé dun kombu. On obtient le composant volatil dérivé du kombu en soumettant un kombu initial à distillation en présence dun solvant, à extraction avec un solvant, à extraction supercritique
