Abstract
Sodium chloride (NaCl) is one of the most important food additives and it has a significant impact on the sensory and microbiological properties of meat products. According to the Regulation on the quality of ground meat, meat preparations and meat products (Official Gazette of RS 50/2019), the salt content in meat products is not defined. The average NaCl values in these products can be concluded by comparison with available experimental and literature data. The aim of this study was to examine the content of sodium chloride in different meat products from 3 different production batches locally produced. A total of 42 samples were tested: Kulen and Cajna sausage (fermented sausages), dry tenderloin (cured meat products), smoked tenderloin (smoked products), hot dog (finely chopped boiled sausage), Serbian sausage (coarsely chopped boiled sausage) and pancetta (bacon). The highest average sodium chloride content was found in dry tenderloin (4.49g/100 g) while the lowest content was measured in hot dogs (1.88g/100 g). Comparing the obtained values of sodium chloride content with the values obtained by other authors for fermented products (Kulen and Cajna sausage), the tested products had significantly higher values of salt content, while the lowest average content of sodium chloride was found in smoked tenderloin samples. For other products, the content of the tested parameter was similar to the values reported in the literature. After the analysis of available samples, it was determined that the manufacturer adhered to the prescribed amounts of NaCl, according to the recipe, in every product. There weren't any notable deviations in the preparation of monitored meat products.
Highlights
Sodium chloride (NaCl) is one of the most commonly used additives in the meat industry because of its low cost and its functionality (Ruusunen and Puolanne, 2005)
The highest average sodium chloride content was found in dry tenderloin (4.49g/100 g) while the lowest content was measured in hot dogs (1.88g/100 g)
The highest coefficient of variation was recorded in the samples of hot dogs (8.70%), pancetta (8.69%) and dry tenderloin (8.34%)
Summary
Sodium chloride (NaCl) is one of the most commonly used additives in the meat industry because of its low cost and its functionality (Ruusunen and Puolanne, 2005). Cured meat products exist since ancient times as a result of the need to preserve meat for a longer period of time. Salting and drying prolong the shelf life of this perishable food. This process provides microbiological stability and improves organoleptic properties such as texture.It is , used for flavouring, as a flavour enhancer, and is responsible for water binding capacity and giving desired textural properties to processed meat. The salinity caused by sodium chloride improves the perception of meat taste, which is an significant factor in the overall acceptability of meat products. The reduction of sodium in processed meat can negatively affect the overall quality of the final product (Ruusunen and Puolanne, 2005; Pietrasik and Gaudette, 2015)
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