The impact of high hydrostatic pressure on the functionality and consumer acceptability of reduced sodium naturally cured wieners

High-pressure processing enhances saltiness perception and sensory acceptability of raw but not of cooked cured pork loins-leveraging salty and umami taste

The salt (NaCl) content in processed meats must be reduced because of its adverse effects on cardiovascular health. However, reducing salt in meat products typically leads to a lower taste intensity and, thus, consumer acceptability. Industry interventions must reduce salt content while maintaining taste, quality, and consumer acceptability. In this context, high-pressure processing (HPP) has been proposed to enhance saltiness perception, though there are contradictory reports to date. The present work aimed to conduct a targeted experiment to ascertain the influence of HPP (300/600 MPa) and cooking (71°C) on saltiness perception and sensory acceptability of meat products. HPP treatment (300/600 MPa) did enhance those two sensory attributes (approx. +1 on a 9-point hedonic scale) in raw (uncooked) cured pork loins but did not in their cooked counterparts. Further, the partition coefficient of sodium (PNa+), as an estimate of Na+ binding strength to the meat matrix, and the content of umami-taste nucleotides were investigated as potential causes. No effect of cooking (71°C) and HPP (300/600 MPa) could be observed on the PNa+ at equilibrium. However, HPP treatment at 300 MPa increased the inosine-5'-monophosphate (IMP) content in raw cured pork loins. Finally, hypothetical HPP effects on taste-mediating molecular mechanisms are outlined and discussed in light of boosting the sensory perception of raw meat products as a strategy to achieve effective salt reductions while keeping consumer acceptability.

Novel Approaches to Improve Meat Products' Healthy Characteristics: A Review on Lipids, Salts, and Nitrites

Meat products are a staple of many diets around the world, but they have been subject to criticism due to their potential negative impact on human health. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in developing novel approaches to improve the healthy characteristics of meat products, with a particular focus on reducing the levels of harmful salts, lipids, and nitrites. This review aims to provide an overview of the latest research on the various methods being developed to address these issues, including the use of alternative salts, lipid-reducing techniques, and natural nitrite alternatives. By exploring these innovative approaches, we can gain a better understanding of the potential for improving the nutritional value of meat products, while also meeting the demands of consumers who are increasingly concerned about their health and well-being.

Nitrites in Cured Meats, Health Risk Issues, Alternatives to Nitrites: A Review

Nitrite is one of the most widely used curing ingredients in meat industries. Nitrites have numerous useful applications in cured meats and a vital component in giving cured meats their unique characteristics, such as their pink color and savory flavor. Nitrites are used to suppress the oxidation of lipid and protein in meat products and to limit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms such as Clostridium botulinum. Synthetic nitrite is frequently utilized for curing due to its low expenses and easier applications to meat. However, it is linked to the production of nitrosamines, which has raised several health concerns among consumers regarding its usage in meat products. Consumer desire for healthier meat products prepared with natural nitrite sources has increased due to a rising awareness regarding the application of synthetic nitrites. However, it is important to understand the various activities of nitrite in meat curing for developing novel substitutes of nitrites. This review emphasizes on the effects of nitrite usage in meat and highlights the role of nitrite in the production of carcinogenic nitrosamines as well as possible nitrite substitutes from natural resources explored also.

The use of high pressure processing to compensate for the effects of salt reduction in ready-to-eat meat products

Sodium chloride is an essential ingredient in meat products, where it is not only used as a flavoring agent but also to achieve desired textural properties and as an antimicrobial to improve its safety and extend shelf-life. Although NaCl plays this multi-functional role in meat products, excessive sodium intake is linked to various negative health consequences such as cardiovascular disease and obesity. Sodium chloride added to ready-to-eat meat products is the largest contributor of sodium. Thus, there is an increased interest in the development of meat products with reduced sodium levels. Strategies to reduce sodium include identification of alternatives to sodium, considering safety and functionality, and including technological innovations and alternative food processing strategies. Several studies have shown that high pressure processing (HPP) can partially compensate for the loss in functional and sensory properties of meat products as a result of NaCl reduction. This review summarizes these studies to date and will highlight the ability of HPP to enhance the safety, shelf-life and quality of sodium-reduced meat products.

Compendium of sodium reduction strategies in foods: A scoping review

In response to health concerns generated by increased sodium intake, many new approaches have been studied to reduce the sodium content in processed food. It has been suggested that reducing sodium in the food supply may be the most appropriate solution. The aim of this scoping review was to establish what sodium reduction strategies are effective in maintaining acceptable sensory qualities for various food industry applications. Studies that evaluate and report on the effectiveness of a sodium reduction strategy relevant to food and included outcomes detailing how the strategies were received by human subjects using sensory data are included, as well as book chapters, literature reviews, and patents focusing on sodium reduction strategies. Only those published in English and since 1970 were included. Literature was obtained through Scopus, PubMed, EBSCOhost, and ScienceDirect databases, whereas patents were obtained through US Patent Trademark Office, Google Patents, and PATENTSCOPE databases. Two-hundred and seventy-seven primary studies, 27 literature reviews, 10 book chapters, and 143 patents were selected for inclusion. Data extracted included details such as analytical methods, broad and specific treatment categories, significant outcomes, and limitations among other material. Sodium reduction methods were categorized as either salt removal, salt replacement, flavor modification, functional modification, or physical modification. Although salt removal and salt replacement were the majority of included studies, future research would benefit from combining methods from other categories while investigating the impact on sensory characteristics, technological aspects, and consumer perception of the strategy.

Effect of Partial Substitution of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) with Potassium Chloride (KCl) Coupled with High-Pressure Processing (HPP) on Physicochemical Properties and Volatile Compounds of Beef Sausage under Cold Storage at 4 °C

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of partial substitution of sodium chloride (NaCl) with potassium chloride (KCl) in combination with high-pressure processing (HPP) on the physicochemical properties and volatile compounds of beef sausage during cold storage at 4 °C. Significant differences were found in the volatile compounds of beef sausages with 0%, 25%, and 50% NaCl contents partially substituted with KCl subjected to 28 days of storage and were well-visualized by heat map analysis. A total of 75 volatile compounds were identified and quantified in the beef sausages at the end of 28 days of storage, including 12 aldehydes, 4 phenols, 2 ketones, 18 alcohols, 8 acids, 3 esters, 14 terpenes, and 14 alkanes. Thirteen compounds had low odor activity values (OAV) (OAV < 1); however, high OAV (OAV > 1) were obtained after partial substitution of NaCl by KCl at 25% and 50% with HPP treatment compared to the non-HPP treated samples. In addition, 50% NaCl substitution with KCl in conjunction with HPP treatments increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) by (0.46 ± 0.03 mg/MDA) compared with no HPP treatments. Replacement of 25% and 50% NaCl with KCl decreased TBARS by an average of 10.8% and 11.10%, respectively, compared to 100% NaCl coupled with HPP beef sausages. In summary, HPP and partial substitution of NaCl with KCl at 25% and 50% can be used to compensate for the reduction of NaCl in beef sausage by keeping the physical and flavor fraction at required levels.

Recent advances in the development of healthier meat products

Meat products are an excellent source of high biological value proteins, in addition to the high content of minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. However, meat products contain compounds that can cause a variety of adverse health effects and pose a serious health threat to humans. In this sense, this chapter will address recent strategies to assist in the development of healthier meat products. The main advances about the reduction of sodium and animal fat in meat products will be presented. In addition, strategies to make the lipid profile of meat products more nutritionally advantageous for human health will also be discussed. Finally, the reduction of substances of safety concern in meat products will be addressed, including phosphates, nitrites, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic aromatic amines, as well as products from lipid and protein oxidation.

Strategies to Improve Meat Products' Quality

Meat products represent an important component of the human diet, their consumption registering a global increase over the last few years. These foodstuffs constitute a good source of energy and some nutrients, such as essential amino acids, high biological value proteins, minerals like iron, zinc, selenium, manganese and B-complex vitamins, especially vitamin B12. On the other hand, nutritionists have associated high consumption of processed meat with an increased risk of several diseases. Researchers and processed meat producers are involved in finding methods to eliminate nutritional deficiencies and potentially toxic compounds, to obtain healthier products and at the same time with no affecting the sensorial quality and safety of the meat products. The present review aims to summarize the newest trends regarding the most important methods that can be applied to obtain high-quality products. Nutritional enrichment with natural bioactive plant compounds (antioxidants, dietary fibers) or probiotics, reduction of harmful components (salt, nitrate/nitrite, N-nitrosamines) and the use of alternative technologies (high-pressure processing, cold plasma, ultrasounds) are the most used current strategies to accomplish this aim.

Chemistry, safety, and regulatory considerations in the use of nitrite and nitrate from natural origin in meat products - Invited review

Nitrite and nitrate have been traditionally used for the preservation of meat products because of the effective antimicrobial action of nitrite against Clostridium botulinum, the outgrowth of its spores as well as other bacteria. However, the use of nitrite and nitrate has been questioned in last half century due to the possible generation of N-nitrosamines through reaction of nitrite with secondary amines. Nitrite replacement strategies began in the 70s addressing these issues and instigated searches for natural alternatives to nitrate and nitrite, or for natural sources of nitrite and nitrate such as vegetable extracts. These alternatives have been considered by producers and consumers as an attractive practice even though they may also have some risks. This manuscript reviews and discusses the chemistry, safety, and regulatory considerations in the use of nitrite and nitrate from natural origin for the preservation of meat products.