Sodium chloride reduction in fresh sausages using salt encapsulated in carnauba wax

A review of the world's salt reduction policies and strategies - preparing for the upcoming year 2025

Excessive consumption of dietary sodium is a significant contributor to non-communicable diseases, including hypertension and cardiovascular disease. There is now a global consensus that regulating salt intake is among the most cost-effective measures for enhancing public health. More than half of the countries worldwide have implemented multiple strategies to decrease salt consumption. Nevertheless, a report on sodium intake reduction published by the World Health Organization revealed that the world is off-track to meet its targeted reduction of 30% by 2025. The global situation regarding salt reduction remains concerning. This review will center on domestic and international salt reduction policies, as well as diverse strategies, given the detrimental effects of excessive dietary salt intake and the existing global salt intake scenario. Besides, we used visualization software to analyze the literature related to salt reduction research in the last five years to explore the research hotspots in this field. Our objective is to enhance public awareness regarding the imperative of reducing salt intake and promoting the active implementation of diverse salt reduction policies.

Green technologies applied to low-NaCl fresh sausages production: Impact on oxidative stability, color formation, microbiological properties, volatile compounds, and sensory profile

The influence of different concentrations of NaCl (2.5% and 1.75%), basic electrolyzed water (BEW), and ultrasound (US, 25 kHz, 159 W) on the quality of fresh sausages was studied. During storage at 5 °C, TBARS, pH, Eh, aw, nitrous pigments, and bacterial evolution were evaluated at three specific time intervals: 1d, 15d, and 30d. At the same time, the volatile compounds and sensory profile were specifically assessed on both the 1d and 30d. Notably, sausages with 1.75% NaCl and BEW displayed higher pH values (up to 6.30) and nitrous pigment formation, alongside reduced Eh (as low as 40.55 mV) and TBARS values (ranging from 0.016 to 0.134 mg MDA/kg sample), compared to the 2.5% NaCl variants. Protein content ranged between 13.01% and 13.75%, while lipid content was between 18.23% and 18.86%, consistent across all treatments. Psychrotrophic lactic bacteria showed a significant increase in low-NaCl sausages, ranging from 5.77 to 7.59 log CFU/g, indicative of potential preservative benefits. The sensory analysis favored the TUSBEW70 treatment for its salty flavor on the 30th day, reflecting a positive sensory acceptance. The study highlights that employing US and BEW in sausage preparation with reduced NaCl content (1.75%) maintains quality comparable to higher salt (2.5%) counterparts. These findings are crucial for meat processing, presenting a viable approach to producing healthier sausages with reduced sodium content without compromising quality, aligning with consumer health preferences and industry standards.

Impact of Micronized Salt in Reducing the Sodium Content in Fresh Sausages

This study aimed to investigate the incorporation of micronized salt (MS) to reduce sodium content in fresh sausages while preserving technological, chemical, textural, and sensory characteristics. Four treatments were prepared: control (C) with 2.0% regular salt; M2.0% with 2.0% micronized salt; M1.5% with 1.5% micronized salt; and M1.0% with 1.0% micronized salt, containing 1004, 1133, 860, and 525 mg of sodium/100 g of product, respectively. To characterize the samples, analyses of sodium content, cooking loss, relative myoglobin content, and instrumental color were carried out. The sensory analysis was performed using the Temporal-Check-All-That-Apply (TCATA) method. Half of the micronized salt treatment was mixed with the fat during the processing of the fresh sausages. It was possible to achieve a 50% reduction in sodium (M1.0%) in the fresh sausages without negative effects on most technological, chemical, and textural parameters, which did not differ from the control treatment (C). Conversely, "chewiness" decreased in M2.0% compared to the control (C) due to mixing micronized salt with the fat. The sodium reduction did not impact the temporal sensory profile and overall liking. Therefore, using micronized salt in fresh sausages reduces sodium content without affecting sensory traits and product stability.

Antioxidant effect of yeast on lipid oxidation in salami sausage

Salami is a kind of fermented meat product with rich nutrition and unique flavor. Because it is rich in fat, it is easy to oxidize to produce bad flavor. Compared with the way of adding artificial or natural antioxidants to reduce the degree of sausage oxidation, the antioxidant characteristics of developing the starter itself deserve more attention. In this study, firstly the antioxidant activities of 5 strains of yeast were measured in vitro, and then the mixture of yeast and Lactobacillus rhamnosus YL-1 was applied to fermented sausage model. The effect of the starter in the sausage model was investigated through physicochemical parameters, degree of fat oxidation, free fatty acid content, and though volatile flavor compound analysis, sensory evaluation and various indexes after storage were observed. Metagenomics was used to explore metabolic pathways, functional genes and key enzymes related to lipid oxidizing substances in sausage in yeast. The results showed that Wickerhamomyces anomalus Y12-3 and Y12-4 had strong tolerance to H2O2, and had higher SOD and CAT enzyme activities. The addition of yeast effectively reduced the material value of peroxidation value and active thiobarbiturate in salami. In flavor analysis, the content of flavor compounds associated with lipid oxidation, such as hexanal, heptanal, nonanal and (E)-2-decenal were significantly lower with the use of Debaryomyces hansenii Y4-1 and Y12-3. Meanwhile, the possible pathways of yeast metabolism of flavor substances related to lipid oxidation (mainly aldehydes) were discussed with the help of metagenomic techniques. According to the results of metagenomics, fatty acid degradation (ko00071) metabolic pathway was related to the degradation of aldehydes through aldehyde dehydrogenase, which was the potential key enzyme.

Evaluation of Chemical and Sensory Characteristics of Sauerkraut Juice Powder and its Application in Food

Sauerkraut juice is rich in bioactive compounds; however, it is considered a byproduct of the production process. An innovative solution was found through the process of spray-drying to obtain sauerkraut juice powder. The aim of this study was to evaluate chemical and sensory characteristics of sauerkraut juice powder (SJP) and its application in foodstuffs. For SJP, total phenol content, antiradical activity, and nutritional value were determined, and the results showed that SJP is rich in minerals, especially calcium and potassium, as well as organic acids and vitamin C. SJP contains 12% NaCl and a total phenol content of 359.54 mg GAE 100 g^-1 dw. SJP has umami attributes, such as sweet, sour, and salty. Sensory tests-descriptive, rate-all-that-apply, overall liking, and volatile profile determination-were carried out separately in SJP experimental samples with olive oil and sour cream. Among the sweet, sour, and salty flavours, garlic, yogurt, and mayonnaise were also mentioned. In the detection of volatile compounds, leafy and grassy green aromas with light almond were identified in the samples with olive oil and butter and rancid cheese and fishy/amine odours were identified in samples with sour cream. There were significant differences in the overall likability of samples, but the experimental samples with SJP were more popular than control samples; therefore, SJP may be used as a salt alternative in food applications.

Development of Healthier and Functional Dry Fermented Sausages: Present and Future

In recent years, consumer perception about the healthiness of meat products has changed. In this scenario, the meat industry and the scientific and technological areas have put their efforts into improving meat products and achieving healthier and functional formulations that meet the demands of today’s market and consumers. This article aims to review the current functional fermented meat products, especially on sausage development. Firstly, an emphasis is given to reducing and replacing traditional ingredients associated with increased risk to consumer’s health (sodium, fat, and nitrites), adding functional components (prebiotics, probiotics, symbiotics, and polyphenols), and inducing health benefits. Secondly, a look at future fermented sausages is provided by mentioning emerging strategies to produce innovative healthier and functional meat products. Additional recommendations were also included to assist researchers in further development of healthier and functional sausages.

Efficiency of Microencapsulation of Proteolytic Enzymes

Currently, special attention is paid to the study of the effectiveness of the immobilization method—microencapsulation. The aim of the research is to obtain a complex enzyme preparation from pepsin and papain by sequential microencapsulation of enzymes in a pseudo-boiling layer and to evaluate its tenderizing effect on pork. The objects of research were enzymes: pepsin and papain, which were microencapsulated in a protective coating of maltodextrin. It was found that the biocatalytic activity of the complex enzyme preparation is higher than that of pure enzymes. Microencapsulation allows maintaining the high proteolytic activity of enzymes for a long storage period. It has been shown that the thickness of the protective layer during microencapsulation of pepsin and papain in the pseudo-boiling layer of maltodextrin should be in the range of 4–6 microns. During the research, the physicochemical properties of pork were studied depending on the duration of fermentation. It was found that the maximum activity of immobilized enzymes is shifted to the alkaline side. Pork salting with the use of a microencapsulated enzyme preparation in the brine increases the water-binding capacity of proteins to a greater extent in comparison with brine with pure enzymes. The presented data show the high efficiency of sequential microencapsulation of the enzyme pepsin and then papain into a protective layer of maltodextrin in order to preserve their activity during storage.