Salting Process Research Articles

Analysis of Judd-Ofelt parameters and radioluminescence results of SrNb2O6:Dy3+ phosphors synthesized via molten salt method.

In this work, Dy3+-doped SrNb2O6 phosphors were fabricated by the molten salt process, which avoids high sintering temperatures, prolonged reaction time and poor compositional homogeneity. All samples crystallized to the orthorhombic columbite structure with space group, P21/c, while a rod-like morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). PL (photoluminescence) and RL (radioluminescence) spectra of SrNb2O6:Dy3+ exhibited a strong blue emission peak at 576.0 nm related to 4F9/2 → 6H15/2 transition of Dy. The high RL emission of the 4F9/2 → 6H15/2 (electric dipole) transition upon X-ray-induced excitation led to a decrease in Dy3+ local environmental symmetry. The Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory was applied to the PL excitation spectra for the calculation of optical data such as Ω2, Ω4, and Ω6 parameters, radiative transition probability (Ar), branching ratios (β, βexp) and stimulated emission cross-section (σe). The quantum efficiencies (ηQE) varied between 35.47 and 31.93%, which are compatible with theoretical quantum efficiencies based on the Einstein relation. The CIE chromaticity coordinates (x, y) and CCT (correlated color temperature) parameter for 3 mol% phosphor were defined (0.385, 0.432) and 4209 K, respectively.

Development and Verification of Novel Black and White Area Preserving Salt and Pepper Noise Removal Image Processing Design

Development and Verification of Novel Black and White Area Preserving Salt and Pepper Noise Removal Image Processing Design

Developing an Interpenetrated Porous and Ultrasuperior Hard-Carbon Anode via a Promising Molten-Salt Evaporation Method.

Hard carbon (HC) has become one of the prospective anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), but its application suffers from the low electron conductivity and poor ion-diffusion kinetics. In this study, the melting and evaporation process of neutral salt was first introduced to produce nitrogen-rich interpenetrated porous HC (NIP-HC) as the anode for SIBs. Such a protocol allows for the first-demonstrated porous structure for HC materials with desired electronic conductivity and much improved rate performance than the conventional porous structure. As a result, high reversible capacity (358 mA h g-1) and enhanced rate property (239.8 mA h g-1 at 2 A g-1) are achieved with improved electrode kinetics and electron conductivity because of the accelerated charge transfer derived from the unique porosity and nitrogen heteroatom-doping. More interestingly, the increase of the surface area of NIP-HC does not lead to a decrease of the initial efficiency. At the same time, a high plateau capacity (172.8 mA h g-1) can be obtained below 0.1 V, which shows great potential for practical application in the full cells. As suggested by IG/ID from Raman tests, the degree of graphitization increases accompanied by the melting and evaporation process, which improves the electrical conductivity of the HC material as well. Furthermore, according to first-principle calculations, it is found that the nitrogen is conducive to increasing the electron density around the Fermi level, which intrinsically enhances the electrical conductivity and enriches active sites for sodium-ion storage. The result from this study has provided insights into producing interpenetrated porous HC by a simple and novel salt melting and evaporation process and enriched the methods of pore structure preparation.

Cercetări efectuate la Băile Figa în anii 2016–2019 și considerații privind deslușirea valențelor unui peisaj salin hibrid / Research carried out at Băile Figa during 2016–2019 Revealing the potential of a hybrid saltscape

Cercetări efectuate la Băile Figa în anii 2016–2019 și considerații privind deslușirea valențelor unui peisaj salin hibrid / Research carried out at Băile Figa during 2016–2019 Revealing the potential of a hybrid saltscape

Influence of salting process on the structure and in vitro digestibility of actomyosin.

Salting process is widely used in the process of meat products, whereas few studies have revealed the digestibility of actomyosin after salting treatment, which is closely related with the nutrition of meat. This work reported effect of salting on the structural change and digestibility of actomyosin before and after heat treatment. Actomyosin in 0.4M and 0.8M of NaCl had higher content of disulfide bonds, and actomyosin in 0.4M NaCl showed the largest particle sizes before and after heat treatment. In addition, actomyosin in 0.6M and 0.8M of NaCl was oxidized more severely after heat treatment. Based on peptidomics analysis by using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), actomyosin in 0.6M was digested more easily, which was followed by sample in 0.8M and 0.4M of NaCl in descending order. The lowest digestibility of actomyosin in 0.4M NaCl was related with its higher content of disulfide bond and severer aggregation behavior. The lower digestibility of actomyosin in 0.8M NaCl should be related with the higher content of disulfide bonds and surface oxidation. These results highlight the crucial role of salting process in affecting the digestibility of meat protein.

Effect of NaCl replacement by other chloride salts on physicochemical parameters, proteolysis and lipolysis of dry-cured foal "cecina".

This study was proposed following the strategy of the meat sector to reduce sodium intake through applying different salting processes instead of the traditional method. Therefore, the influence of two salting treatments (with 50% and 55% of NaCl replacement by other chloride salts) on the chemical, physicochemical, proteolysis and lipolysis of foal cecinas was evaluated and compared to those cecinas salted with a traditional procedure. Regarding physicochemical parameters, cecinas treated with CaCl2 and MgCl2 increased the lipid oxidation and luminosity, while decreased the redness. The highest contents of protein and the lowest of moisture were obtained in cecinas salted with 50% KCl, while the NaCl content was dramatically reduced by the experimental batches (4.25 and 3.40g/100g) in comparison with control samples (7.73g/100g). The values of texture (hardness) did not reflect differences among batches. The content of free amino acids increased with NaCl replacement. In fact, data suggests that NaCl had more inhibitory power on the proteolytic enzymes than the other salts. On the contrary, lipolytic phenomenon showed lower differences among treatments (mainly individual PUFA). However, these variations could be related to the higher oxidation observed in the samples with NaCl replacement. On the other hand, the substitution of NaCl by other salts had an important influence in mineral contents. The main objective, which is the reduction of sodium intake, was achieved. Nevertheless, a sensory study should carry out to observe how aforementioned changes affect the organoleptic quality of the final product and the consumer's acceptability.

NaCl-responsive ROS scavenging and energy supply in alkaligrass callus revealed from proteomic analysis

BackgroundSalinity has obvious effects on plant growth and crop productivity. The salinity-responsive mechanisms have been well-studied in differentiated organs (e.g., leaves, roots and stems), but not in unorganized cells such as callus. High-throughput quantitative proteomics approaches have been used to investigate callus development, somatic embryogenesis, organogenesis, and stress response in numbers of plant species. However, they have not been applied to callus from monocotyledonous halophyte alkaligrass (Puccinellia tenuifora).ResultsThe alkaligrass callus growth, viability and membrane integrity were perturbed by 50 mM and 150 mM NaCl treatments. Callus cells accumulated the proline, soluble sugar and glycine betaine for the maintenance of osmotic homeostasis. Importantly, the activities of ROS scavenging enzymes (e.g., SOD, APX, POD, GPX, MDHAR and GR) and antioxidants (e.g., ASA, DHA and GSH) were induced by salinity. The abundance patterns of 55 salt-responsive proteins indicate that salt signal transduction, cytoskeleton, ROS scavenging, energy supply, gene expression, protein synthesis and processing, as well as other basic metabolic processes were altered in callus to cope with the stress.ConclusionsThe undifferentiated callus exhibited unique salinity-responsive mechanisms for ROS scavenging and energy supply. Activation of the POD pathway and AsA-GSH cycle was universal in callus and differentiated organs, but salinity-induced SOD pathway and salinity-reduced CAT pathway in callus were different from those in leaves and roots. To cope with salinity, callus mainly relied on glycolysis, but not the TCA cycle, for energy supply.

Pemberdayaan Kelompok Setia Kawan dalam Produksi Garam Beryodium di Desa Labuhan Bajo, Sumbawa

Labuhan Bajo Village is one of the villages designated as a center for the development of community salt in Sumbawa Regency. Problem related to salt encountered in Labuhan Bajo Village is the low income of the salt farmers group, there is still need to increase the quality and quantity of salt production and the absence of iodized salt production. The other problem is related to iodine deficiency (IDD), such as the stunting case, which is need to be handled immediately, considering that Labuhan Bajo Village is one of the villages in Utan Subdistrict which has a high stunted prevalence (22.1%). Therefore this service is expected to be a solution for the availability of iodized salt production in Sumbawa, especially in Labuhan Bajo Village while contributing to stunted prevention. The aim of this service activity is to assist Setia Kawan group in increasing the quantity and quality of salt to KW 1 and producing iodized salt that meets SNI requirements. The method for carrying out this community service activity includes counseling, training, assistance in procurement of equipment and assistance. The results of this activity are the availability of salt processing technology using the TUF + Iodization method, increasing the amount of salt production by the Setia Kawan Group, the availability of KW 1 salt and iodized, increasing the income of the Setia Kawan group, increasing the marketing network and increasing the knowledge and skills of salt farmers in applying TUF + Iodization method.

At-line monitoring of salification process of the antiretroviral lamivudine-saccharinate salt using FT-MIR spectroscopy with multivariate curve resolution

This article presents a promising application of Fourier transform-mid infrared (FT-MIR) spectroscopy with multivariate curve resolution ― alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) as an at-line process analytical technology (PAT) to enhancing the understanding and continuous control of a pharmaceutical manufacturing process. Its objective was to monitor the synthesis of pharmaceutical multicomponent crystals in solid-state, namely the mixture between lamivudine (active pharmaceutical ingredient-API) and saccharin (coformer) using liquid assisted grinding (LAG) in proportion of 1:1 in a ball mill. The continuous monitoring of synthesis procedure ensured product quality, revealing some of the events that can be detected during mechanochemical synthesis by FT-MIR spectroscopy with MCR-ALS. The concentration profiles retrieved by MCR-ALS allowed to identify the end of the salt synthesis. In fact, this is one of the advantages of real-time monitoring using FT-MIR spectroscopy and MCR-ALS, because it can be helpful not only to monitor and control a pharmaceutical manufacturing process, but also to optimize efficient use of energy, time and raw materials for lamivudine-saccharinate salt synthesis. Moreover, it allowed to understand that the antiretroviral lamivudine-saccharinate salt synthetized by LAG showed a fast reaction mechanism due to the presence of ethanol as catalyst. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) techniques provided additional information needed to fully characterize pharmaceutical lamivudine-saccharinate salt synthetized by LAG technique.

Design of tailored oxide-carbide coating on carbon fibers for a robust copper/carbon interphase

The lack of robust interphases between carbon and most metals prevent the exploration of the full scope potential of carbon-based metal matrix composites. Here, we demonstrated a scalable and straightforward way to produce strong interphase between copper (Cu) and carbon fibers (CFs) by designing a tailored titanium oxide-carbide coating (TiOy-TiCx) on CFs in a molten salt process. The oxide-carbide composition in the graded layer strongly depends on the coating temperature (800–950 °C). A coating with a high TiOy content obtained at a low coating temperature (800 °C) contributes to better molten-Cu wetting and strong adhesion energy between CFs and Cu during a subsequent exposure at 1200 °C. The Cu wetting angle for the TiOy-TiCx-CF sample obtained at 800 °C was ∼80° ± 5° with a Cu surface coverage of ∼50% versus ∼115° and ∼10% for the TiCx-CF sample made at 950 °C. The kinetic analysis of the coating process step by step suggests a growth rate limited by the mass-transfer through the coated layer. This method provides a novel approach to improve the thermal conductivity of Cu/C composite for thermal management applications.

Feasibility of Applying Conductive Heat and Convective Heat to the Drying Process of Safe Solar Salt

This study investigated drying characteristics for the production of safe solar salt. The drying characteristics were measured and analyzed at 10-min intervals by drying at 50, 75, and 100 °C for approximately 30 min using three dry heat sources, such as conductive heat (hereafter CDH), convective heat (hereafter CVH), and conductive and convective heat (hereafter CDCVH). The characteristics measured were moisture content, salinity, whiteness, b* (yellowness), and energy consumption. Moisture content tends to decrease with increasing drying time. In particular, the drying rate of the drying method using CDCVH was most rapid (1.22%, w.b./h). The deviation of the moisture content was further increased by using the CVH method. Salinity and whiteness were not significantly different for every experiment. Otherwise, the deviation of the b* value of the drying experiment using the CDCVH was largest. Energy consumption using the CVH method was similar to the drying method using CDCVH, but the cost of the heat generator for the drying method using the CDCVH was more expensive. Therefore, considering the deviation of moisture content after drying, the cost of the heat generator, and the change of the appearance quality (b* value), the drying method using the CVH was most suitable.

A combined leaching and electrochemical activation approach to converting coal to capacitive carbon in molten carbonates

The impurities of coal plague its values not only for fuels but also for preparing functional carbon materials. Herein, we aim to develop a clean and one-step strategy to prepare activated carbon by molten salt leaching and electrolysis approach to converting anthracite/lignite to carbon for electrochemical supercapacitors. First, the major impurities such as silica and alumina were removed by a combined molten salt and water leaching process without using any toxic acid or alkaline solutions. Meanwhile, the carbonization and activation of coals take place together in the water- and oxygen-free molten salt medium. Moreover, the electrolysis can further increase the specific capacitance of the coal-derived carbon by the electrochemical regulation of carbon in molten salt using a low-cost and oxygen-evolution inert anode. The as-obtained carbon delivers a capacitance of 190 F g−1 at 5 A g−1 and shows nearly no capacitance loss after 10,000 cycles. This paper provides a clean molten salt approach to utilizing both high-rank and low-rank coals for the preparation of capacitive carbons.

The heavy metal leaching property and cementitious material preparation by treating municipal solid waste incineration fly ash through the molten salt process.

This research investigated the heavy metal leaching property and cementitious material preparation by treating municipal solid waste incineration fly ash through the molten salt process. The results indicated that the heavy metal thermal evaporation of fly ash in the molten salt was related to molten salt composition, heat treatment temperature and atmosphere. After treatment with sodium chloride molten salts (contains 10-50 wt% calcium chloride) from 900°C to 1000°C for 2 h, the leaching concentrations of lead, cadmium, copper, zinc and other heavy metals in fly ash were decreased more than 90% and they could fully meet with the landfill standard. Moreover, after molten salt treatment, the weight fraction of fly ash was reduced by 50 wt% than the original one, and the fly ash has been changed as a kind of cementitious material, which has excellent cementitious property. The X-ray diffraction result indicated that the main crystal mineral composition of cementitious materials obtained was alite, belite, alinite and calcium sulphate.

Quantification of micropolarity and microviscosity of aggregation and salt-induced gelation of sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) using Nile red fluorescence.

This study reports the utility of the hydrophobic probe Nile Red (NR) to understand the concentration induced microenvironmental changes of sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) bile salt from the premicellar to postmicellar range. The spectroscopic properties like absorbance value, fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime of NR are significantly sensitive towards different states of aggregation of NaDC bile salt. The critical aggregation concentrations of different states (dimer to primary micellar aggregates (1.0 mM), secondary micellar aggregates (7.0 mM), and higher micellar aggregates (14 mM)) have been determined from the absorbance value and fluorescence intensity measurements. The ET(30) polarity parameter values suggest a considerable decrease in the micropolarity with an increase in NaDC concentrations. Furthermore, the spectroscopic properties of NR are also sensitive towards the NaCl induced gelation process of NaDC bile salt. Changes in the micropolarity and microviscosity of the NaDC + NaCl mixed system have been estimated using the emission maximum value (cm-1) and fluorescence lifetime values of NR with an increase in the NaCl concentration. Microviscosity of the medium increases from ∼19 mPa s to ∼26 mPa s from the sol phase to the gel phase. Temperature dependence of both size and phase changes of the NaDC + NaCl (30 mM + 1 M) gel network has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic light scattering studies. Temperature induced polarity and microviscosity changes of the NaDC + NaCl (30 mM + 1 M) gel network have also been studied using the fluorescence properties of NR.

The Leaching Process of Alumina from Red Mud for Synthesis of Mesoporous Alumina

Alumina was leached from red mud by hidrometalurgy method. Alumina from red mud was leached by desilication process, separation of iron oxide process, and formation of alumina salt process. Residu of each step was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray flourence (XRF), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX). From X-ray diffraction result. The composition of red mud from Bintan was determined by characterization process with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray flourence (XRF) that show red mud from Bintan contains hematite (Fe2O3), gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), anatase (TiO2) dan quartz (SiO2). After desilication process, SiO2 on residue of red mud were collected 38.85 wt.%. From separation of iron oxide process, the residue of leaching process was Fe2O3 81.80 wt.%. The product from formation of alumina salt process was characterized by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX) that showed the leaching process of alumina from red mud had element oxygen and aluminium in its salt amounted to 64.94 wt.% and 26.40 wt.%. The product could be the source of alumina to synthesis of mesoporous alumina.

Corrosion behaviour of novel molten salt processed aluminium nanocomposites under different treated conditions

The effect of processing technique and temper conditions (as cast, artificial aging and deep cryogenic) on the corrosion behaviour of Al 7075/BN/Al2O3 hybrid nanocomposites and unreinforced alloy immersed in 3.5% NaCl was investigated. The hybrid nanocomposites were developed using a novel technique called molten salt processing. The corrosion behaviour of different materials samples was determined by conducting potentiodynamic polarization tests. Better corrosion resistance was observed with nanocomposites over unreinforced alloy. Among the different tempering conditions, the deep cryogenic treatment was found to enhance the corrosion resistance of nanocomposites.

BRAF V600E mutation in papillary thyroid cancer is correlated with adverse clinicopathological features but not with iodine exposure.

BRAFV600E activating mutation is the most frequent genetic abnormality in the pathogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma. We aimed to evaluate the association between BRAFV600E mutation and well-established prognostic clinicopathological characteristics as well as iodine exposure. From 2000 to 2012, the data of PTC patients admitted to Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Education and Research Hospital in Turkey were reviewed retrospectively. Clinicopathological parameters were collected. BRAFV600E mutation was analysed by DNA sequencing method in tumour specimens. We hypothesised thatBRAFV600E mutation prevalence is positively correlated with prolonged iodine exposure and expected to be higher in the second half of the recruitment period due to the increment in time spent from the iodisation process of the table salt in our country. Thus, iodine exposure was categorised as short-term (2000-2006) and long-term (2006-2012). A total of 197 patients were accrued. The study population predominantly consisted of conventional variant. A statistically significant relationship was observed betweenBRAFV600E mutation presence and age (p = 0.03), conventional variant PTC (p = 0.00002), T4 stage (p = 0.002), vascular invasion (p = 0.036), thyroid capsule invasion (p < 0.00001), extrathyroidal tissue invasion (p < 0.00001), and lymph node metastasis (p < 0.00001). When categorised as long-term and short-term, iodine exposure was not statistically significantly related withBRAFV600E mutation; however, there were far more PTC cases in the long-term group (86.3% vs. 13.7%). We revealed that BRAFV600E mutation is associated with adverse clinicopathological parameters. There appeared to be no relation between long-term iodine exposure and BRAFV600E.

New Precursors Derived Activated Carbon and Graphene for Aqueous Supercapacitors with Unequal Electrode Capacitances

Carbon materials can offer various micro-and nano-structures, and bulk and surface functionalities, and hence remain most popular for manufacturing supercapacitors. This article reviews critically recent development in preparation of carbon materials from new precursors for supercapacitors. Typical examples are activated carbon (AC) and graphene which can be prepared from various conventional and new precursors, such as biomass, polymers, graphite oxide, CH4 and even CO2, via innovative processes to achieve low cost and/or high specific capacitance. Specifically, when producing AC from natural biomasses or synthetic polymers, either new, spent, or waste, popular activation agents, such as KOH and ZnCl2, are often used to process the ACs derived from these new precursors while the respective activation mechanisms always attract interest. The traditional two-step calcination process at high temperatures is widely employed to achieve high performance, with or without retaining the morphology of the precursors. The three-step calcination, including a post-vacuum treatment, is also the preferred choice in many cases, but it can increase the cost per capacity (kWh·g-1). More recently, one-step molecular activation promises a better and more economical approach to the commercial application of AC, although further increase of the yield is necessary. In addition to activation, graphitization, N doping, and template control can further improve ACs in terms of the charging and discharging rates, or pseudocapacitance, or both. Considerations are also given to material structure design, and carbon regeneration during activation. Metal-organic frameworks, which were initially used as templates, have been found to be good direct carbon precursors. Various graphene structures, including powders, films, aerogels, foams, and fibers, can be produced from graphite oxide, CO2, and CH4. Similar to AC, graphene can possess micropores by activation. Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis and molten salt processing are newly-reported methods for fabrication of mesoporous graphene. Macroporous graphene hydrogels can be produced by hydrothermal treatment of graphite oxide suspension, which can also be transferred into films. Hierarchically porous structures can be achieved by H2O2 etching or ZnCl2 activation of the macroporous graphene precursor. Sponges as templates combined with KOH activation are applied to create both micro-and macropores in graphene foams. Graphene can grow on fibers and textiles by electrodeposition, dip-coating, or filtration, which can be woven into clothes with a large area or thick loading, illuminating the potential application in flexible and wearable supercapacitors. The key obstacles in AC and graphene production are high cost, low yield, low packing density, and low working potential range. Most Carbon materials derived from new precursors work very well with aqueous electrolytes. Charge storage occurs not only in the electric double layer (i.e., the carbon|electrolyte interface), but also via redox activity in association with the bulk and surface functionalities, and the resulting partial delocalization of valence electrons. The analysis of the capacitive electrode has shown a design defect that prevents the working voltage of a symmetrical supercapacitor from reaching the full potential window of the carbon material. This defect can be avoided in AC-based supercapacitors with unequal electrode capacitances, leading to higher cell voltages and hence higher specific energy than their symmetrical counterparts. There are also emerging ways to raise the energy capacity of AC supercapacitors, such as the use of redox electrolytes to enable the Nernstian charge storage mechanism, and of the three dimensional printing method for a desirable electrode structure. All these developments are promising carbon materials from various precursors of new and waste sources for a more affordable and sustainable supercapacitor technology.

Gum Kondagogu/Reduced Graphene Oxide Framed Platinum Nanoparticles and Their Catalytic Role.

This study investigates an environmentally benign approach to generate platinum nanoparticles (Pt NP) supported on the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) by non-edible gum waste of gum kondagogu (GK). The reaction adheres to the green chemistry approach by using an aqueous medium and a nontoxic natural reductant—GK—whose abundant hydroxyl groups facilitate in the reduction process of platinum salt and helps as well in the homogenous distribution of ensued Pt NP on RGO sheets. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of kondagogu gum/reduced graphene oxide framed spherical platinum nanoparticles (RGO-Pt) with an average particle size of 3.3 ± 0.6 nm, as affirmed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). X-ray Diffraction (XRD) results indicated that the Pt NPs formed are crystalline with a face-centered cubic structure, while morphological analysis by XRD and Raman spectroscopy revealed a simultaneous reduction of GO and Pt. The hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol could be accomplished in the superior catalytic performance of RGO-Pt. The current strategy emphasizes a simple, fast and environmentally benign technique to generate low-cost gum waste supported nanoparticles with a commendable catalytic activity that can be exploited in environmental applications.

Validation of a High-Throughput Sausage Casing Model for the Assessment of Bacterial Inactivation Affected by Salt Concentration, pH, and Temperature

Previous studies have shown the efficacy of high concentrations of salt as the main preservative against vegetative bacteria present on natural sausage casings. These studies were limited in the number of variables and the interactions between these variables that were assessed. To remedy this situation, a MicroCasing high-throughput model was developed and validated to study the inactivation kinetics of various combinations of parameters (salt concentration, pH, and temperature) on eight bacterial isolates of Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes over a prolonged period. A Weibullian power model was the best fit to show the trends in sensitivity of each bacterial isolate to salt, pH, and temperature over time. The inactivation kinetics generated with this novel approach could serve as a predictive model for the required salting period for casings. The actual bacterial contamination of the product can vary with the respective production step during processing from animal intestine into sausage casings (initial level, ∼105 CFU/g; level after salting, <102 CFU/g). Subsequent selection and grading of these casings will require complete removal of all salt, and upon completion of this production step, the casings will be resalted. By determining the actual contamination level before the salting process, the minimum storage period in salt can be calculated and potentially optimized by adjusting the pH and temperature. As a result, a standard holding period of at least 30 days may no longer be necessary to produce salted natural casings in accordance with validated quality and food safety criteria.