Sodium reduction in Turkey breast meat by using sodium anion species

Microbiological Safety and Shelf-Life of Low-Salt Meat Products-A Review

Salt is widely employed in different foods, especially in meat products, due to its very diverse and extended functionality. However, the high intake of sodium chloride in human diet has been under consideration for the last years, because it is related to serious health problems. The meat-processing industry and research institutions are evaluating different strategies to overcome the elevated salt concentrations in products without a quality reduction. Several properties could be directly or indirectly affected by a sodium chloride decrease. Among them, microbial stability could be shifted towards pathogen growth, posing a serious public health threat. Nonetheless, the majority of the literature available focuses attention on the sensorial and technological challenges that salt reduction implies. Thereafter, the need to discuss the consequences for shelf-life and microbial safety should be considered. Hence, this review aims to merge all the available knowledge regarding salt reduction in meat products, providing an assessment on how to obtain low salt products that are sensorily accepted by the consumer, technologically feasible from the perspective of the industry, and, in particular, safe with respect to microbial stability.

Technologies for the Production of Meat Products with a Low Sodium Chloride Content and Improved Quality Characteristics-A Review

In recent years, consumer concerns regarding high levels of sodium chloride (NaCl) intake have increased, given the associated risk of cardiovascular disease. This has led food industries to consider lowering the use of sodium in food products. However, it is well known that the addition of NaCl to meat products enhances their quality, including water-holding capacity, emulsification capacity, juiciness, and texture. Thus, it is difficult to completely remove salt from meat products; however, it is possible to reduce the salt content using salt substitutes, flavor enhancers, textural enhancers, or other processing technologies. Several recent studies have also suggested that processing technologies, including hot-boning, high pressure, radiation, and pulsed electric fields, can be used to manufacture meat products with reduced salt content. In conclusion, as the complete removal of NaCl from food products is not possible, combined technologies can be used to reduce the NaCl content of meat products, and the appropriate technology should be chosen and studied according to its effects on the quality of the specific meat product.

Challenges to reduce or replace NaCl by chloride salts in meat products made from whole pieces - a review

NaCl is fundamental for the development of the physico-chemical, sensorial and microbiological stability in meat products made from whole pieces such as dry-cured lacón, loin, ham, bacon, jerked beef, and pastirma). The substitution of NaCl by other chloride salts (KCl, CaCl₂ and MgCl₂), in order to minimize changes in the processing steps and insertion of new ingredients, is a major challenge for the elaboration of salted meat products in the context of increasing awareness among consumer about sodium consumption and health. This review aims to discuss the potential use of binary, ternary and quaternary salting mixtures in the processing of salted meat products and their effects on microbiological evolution and safety, sensory properties, oxidative reactions on proteins and lipid, and proteolysis and lipolysis reactions. More specifically, the substitution of NaCl by other chloride salts can influence the growth of microorganisms, the formation of toxic compounds, progression of enzymatic and oxidative reactions, and the sensory attributes. Scientific evidences from a food technological point of view, support the use of KCl to partially replace NaCl while major advances/more sophisticated strategies are still necessary to effectively introduce CaCl₂ and MgCl₂ as NaCl replacers. Moreover, further studies regarding the shelf-life and economic problems of the alternatively salted products are still necessary.