The effect of sodium reduction and the use of herbs and spices on the quality and safety of bologna sausage

Progress in Multisensory Synergistic Salt Reduction

Excessive salt intake, primarily from sodium chloride prevalent in modern food processing, poses a significant public health risk associated with hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Researchers worldwide are exploring approaches to reduce salt consumption without compromising food flavor. One promising method is to enhance salty taste perception using multisensory synergies, leveraging gustatory, olfactory, auditory, visual, tactile and trigeminal senses to decrease salt intake while preserving food taste. This review provides a comprehensive overview of salt usage in foods, mechanisms of salty taste perception and evaluation methods for saltiness. Various strategies for reducing salt consumption while maintaining food flavor are examined, with existing salt reduction methods' advantages and limitations being critically analyzed. A particular emphasis is placed on exploring the mechanisms and potential of multisensory synergy in salt reduction. Taste interactions, olfactory cues, auditory stimulation, visual appearance and tactile sensations in enhancing saltiness perception are discussed, offering insights into developing nutritious, appealing low-sodium foods. Furthermore, challenges in current research are highlighted, and future directions for effective salt reduction strategies to promote public health are proposed. This review aims to establish a scientific foundation for creating healthier, flavorful low-sodium food options that meet consumer preferences and wellness needs.

Production and Sensory Evaluation of Mixed Spices from Selected Local Spices Retailed in Ede, Nigeria

Spices are essential group of agricultural products used to enrich taste and enhance nutritional contents of foods and beverages. Spices for various types of food were produced naturally from local available plant materials which have been used since the Middle Ages for flavoring, food additives and preservation, supplement, and/or medicinal purposes. Six spices, namely, Capsicum annuum (yellow pepper), Piper nigrum (black pepper), Zingiber officinale (ginger), Ocimum gratssimum (scent leaf), castor seed (ogiri), and Murraya koenigii (curry leaf), were selected in their natural forms for the production single spices and mixed spices. These spices were used to determine sensory evaluation on suggested staple food like rice, spaghetti, and Indomie pasta, on a nine-point hedonic scale comprising of taste, texture, aroma, saltiness, mouthfeel, and general acceptability. The results for the sensory evaluation for single and mixed spices were tabulated with value range from least to highest and showed that the mixed spice combinations were preferred to the single spice.

Effect of Salt (Sodium Chloride) Replacement With Potassium Chloride, High Pressure Processing, and Cold Storage at 4°C on Beef Sausage Volatile Compounds

This study aimed to investigate the partial substitution of 0, 25 and 50% sodium chloride (NaCl) by potassium chloride (KCl) coupled with high-pressure processing (HPP) effects on volatile compounds and lipid oxidation of beef sausage at five (0, 3, 7, 14, and 21) different cold storage days (4°C). The odor activity values (OAV) of the various compounds were visualized by heat map analysis. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of the samples treated with 100% NaCl and HPP increased by an average of 0.52 ± 0.01 mg MDA/kg compared with the control (100% NaCl-no HPP) across the 21 storage days. In addition, 50% NaCl substitution with KCl in combinations with HPP treatments increased TBARS across the 21 storage days by an average of 0.40 ± 0.02 mg MDA/kg compared with no HPP treatment. However, on day 3, there was a sharp decrease in TBARS by an average of 0.10 ± 0.01 mg MDA/kg compared with days 0, 7, 14, and 21 in all treatments. At the end of 21 days of storage, a total of 227 volatile compounds were identified and quantified in the beef sausage, including 43 aldehydes, 46 phenols, 8 ketones, 30 alcohols, 14 acids, 12 esters, 27 terpenes, and 47 alkanes. However, no ketone compounds were detected on days 7, 14 and 21; esters on day 14 and acids on days 14 and 21 in the samples treated with or without HPP across the salts levels. However, high OAVs (OAV > 1) were obtained after partial substitution of NaCl with KCl at 25 and 50% with HPP treatment compared to the samples not treated with HPP. The aroma perceived in the beef sausage was due to compounds with the highest OAVs such as; pentadecanal, benzyl carbazate, anethole, myristicin, o-cresol, phenylacetaldehyde and (E)-methyl isoeugenol, pentadecanal, hexanoic acid, octanoic acid, eugenol, trans-2-nonenal, trans-2-octenal, trans-2-decenal, 2-butyl-1-octanol, 2,3-butanedione, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, (-)-4-terpineol which had an OAV > 1 as compared to the other compounds with an OAV < 1. In conclusion, 25 and 50% NaCl partial replacement with KCl coupled with HPP technique can be considered in producing low-NaCl beef sausage in order to improve the flavor and decrease lipid oxidation during cold storage.

Development of Strategies to Manufacture Low-Salt Meat Products – A review

Urbanization is usually followed by changes in eating habits, with a specific trend toward the consumption of ready-to-eat products, such as processed foods. Among the latter, meat products are known contributors to high dietary sodium owing to salt addition. Salt plays an essential role in maintaining the quality of meat products in terms of acceptability and safety. However, an excessive salt intake is linked to high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Hence, several studies have been competing for the discovery of salt alternatives performing in a similar way as common salt. A number of replacements have been proposed to reduce salt consumption in meat products while taking into account consumer preferences. Unfortunately, these have resulted in poorer product quality, followed by new adverse effects on health. This review addresses these recent issues by illustrating some established approaches and providing insight into further challenges in developing low-salt 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.

Physicochemical, Nutritional, Microbiological, and Sensory Qualities of Chicken Burgers Reformulated with Mediterranean Plant Ingredients and Health-Promoting Compounds

The quality of chicken burgers reformulated by the partial replacement of meat by Mediterranean plant ingredients and enriched with peculiar amounts of n-3 PUFAs, Mg, Fe, Se, and folic acid, was evaluated in comparison to conventional chicken burgers. Specifically, two types of burger were developed, namely the "Sicilian burger"-based on cherry tomato and rosemary-and the "Mediterranean burger"-with basil leaves and thyme essential oil-every recipe being differentially functionalized according to the nutritional requirements of consumers, such as children, pregnant women and elderly. Mediterranean ingredients were responsible for different pH, color, and cooking loss between conventional and functional burgers. Except for n-3 PUFAs resulting poorly fortified, the functionalization with Mg, Fe, Se, and vitamin B9 was successful in all products. Considering the target consumer categories, the daily consumption of the functional burger may assure an intake of Mg, Fe, and Se equal, respectively, to 37.31-59.90%, 17.76-46.81%, and 27.20-50.05%, and a cover of vitamin B9 of 31.98-48.31% of the relative population reference intakes. Fortified products kept a good microbiological quality during 5 days of refrigerated storage, and, according to the sensorial descriptive analysis and the hedonic test, they showed a higher acceptability than conventional burgers.

Storage of beef burgers containing fructooligosaccharides as fat replacer and potassium chloride as replacing sodium chloride

There was few studies using the simultaneous reduction of fat and sodium chloride, as well as the stability of the meat products with these reductions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of fat and sodium chloride reduction in beef burgers during storage. For this, two treatments were produced: T1-without fat and sodium chloride reduction (control) and T2-with 50% fat reduction + 5% fructooligosaccharides and with the replacement of 50% of sodium chloride by potassium chloride. Physicochemical analysis and sensory acceptance were performed. According to results, the pH increased (p < 0.05) with 120 days. For the lipid oxidation, there was an interaction between treatments and storage. There was an increase in TBARS with storage for both treatments. T2 had the highest TBARS at 0, 30, and 60 days. For the color before cooking, there was a reduction in the redness (p < 0.05) with 90 days. After cooking, the lightness reduced at 90 days, while the redness increased at 90 days. However, the instrumental changes were not perceived by consumers. For the sensory acceptance, there was a reduction in the flavor, texture and overall liking with storage. However, despite the decline, the averages remained in the acceptance zone. The beef burgers were perceived as less juiciness and less salty after storage. Thus, the storage affects the physicochemical characteristics and sensory evaluation of beef burgers low-fat and low-sodium. The results reinforce the need for more studies with the storage of meat products with fat and sodium chloride reduced.

The impact of the partial replacement of sodium chloride in the development of starter cultures during Italian salami production

Abstract Italian salami is a cured meat with high sodium contents which is easy, fast and convenient to consume. Starter cultures are used to improve its sensory characteristics and refine its technological manufacturing process. The goal of this study was to reduce the sodium content in Italian salami through the partial replacement of sodium chloride by potassium chloride, magnesium chloride and calcium chloride, and evaluate the viability of the Lactobacillus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. cells found in the starter culture. Four formulations were elaborated: one with, and one without the starter culture, but both with the addition of sodium chloride; and two with the partial replacement of 60% of the sodium chloride: the first with KCl, and the other with a mixture of KCl, MgCl2 and CaCl2. Physicochemical and microbiological evaluations were carried out to monitor the ripening and the quality of the final product. The partial replacement of NaCl by other salts (MgCl2, CaCl2, KCl) did not interfere in the growth of the starter culture in the Italian salami, neither did it affect the majority of the physicochemical parameters of the Italian salami nor the microbiological quality of the final product.

Partial sodium replacement in tilapia steak without loss of acceptability

The aim of this study was to evaluate physical and sensory characteristics of low-sodium tilapia steaks restructured with microbial transglutaminase. Polyphosphate (0.4%), condiment mixes-onion powder and garlic powder (2.5%), water (10.0%), transglutaminase (1.0%), and different types of salts (1.5%) were mixed with non-commercial sized fillets. Substitution of NaCl by KCl or MgCl2 (at 50% each) affected quality attributes and decreased (P < 0.05) consumer acceptability. The tri-salt steaks (KCl, MgCl2, and NaCl at 1:1:2 ratio) improved some attributes and increased (P < 0.05) acceptability and purchase intention. We conclude that potassium and magnesium chlorides are possible replacers of salt (NaCl) in restructured tilapia steaks and potentially decrease the risk factor for heart failure associated with high sodium consumption.