LOWER-SODIUM PROCESSED MEAT—IS IT POSSIBLE?
Posted in Articles, Meat Products, Low Sodium, Sodium
By Donna Berry, Contributing Editor
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, believes that if manufacturers of the top-10 categories of foods responsible for 44% of people’s sodium intake were to reduce the sodium content of these foods by 25%, they could help prevent an estimated 28,000 deaths annually. With CDC having identified cold cuts and cured meats, as well as fresh and processed poultry, as two of the top-10 categories, processed-meat manufacturers are stepping up to the challenge.Most health and nutrition authorities believe the majority of Americans consume too much sodium. This excess, of what is actually an essential mineral to the human body, is associated with raising blood pressure—a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the first and fourth leading causes of death, respectively, in the United States.
This might help the U.S. health outlook, as consumers are reading ingredient labels and making choices based on sodium content. “In researching health-and-wellness trends, we found that about half of consumers surveyed look at sodium levels when it comes to processed meat products," says Peter Gottsacker, president, Wixon, St. Francis, WI.
Wesley Osburn, associate professor, processed meats, Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station TX, says: “Manufacturers of processed meat products are working diligently to develop strategies to reduce the total sodium content due to both consumer demand and pressure from health and regulatory agencies. The problem is that sodium chloride, also known as salt, is one of the most frequently used ingredients in meat processing. It affects flavor, texture (water and fat binding) and shelf life (lowering the water activity) of meat products.
“The challenge for processed-meat manufacturers is to identify innovative ingredient combinations and/or processing technologies that allow for sodium reduction or replacement with minimal or no negative impact on meat product attributes," Osburn adds.
Salt is necessary
By design, processed meats would not be “processed" if salt wasn’t part of the formula. “Salt is one of the basic ingredients, next to the meat itself, and has a wide variety of functional roles," says Nadeen Myers, food technologist, applications research and technical support, ICL Food Specialties, St. Louis, MO.
According to Osburn, the three primary functional properties of raw-meat materials are water-holding capacity, fat emulsification and protein gelation. “And salt plays a critical role in ensuring these functional properties are attained for processed meat manufacturing," he says.
“To increase the water-holding capacity of meat, the space between the myofibrillar proteins must be increased. Salt does this..
“The addition of salt and water solubilizes myofibrillar proteins," Osburn adds. “This process unfolds the protein structure, exposing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic sites to create a protein film to encapsulate the fat particles to bind fat and added water, also known as emulsification."
And finally, protein gelation occurs when the solubilized myofibrillar proteins undergo a structural change, forming a three-dimensional gel network that immobilizes water. “During the comminution phase (particle-size reduction) for the manufacture of sausage products, water binding is influenced by the addition of salt and the degree of tissue disruption and protein hydration, or swelling," Osburn says.
Ingredient strategies
Salt has proven functionality in processed meat products. And while developers have a range of ingredient solutions to help reduce salt and other sodium-containing ingredients, finding the right mix takes time and effort, according to Matthijs Bults, business development manager, Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals B.V., The Netherlands. He explains that strategies include simply reducing sodium-containing ingredients, replacing sodium with other minerals, using different crystal forms of salt, using aromas associated with salt, enhancing flavors, masking flavors and adding new flavors.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, believes that if manufacturers of the top-10 categories of foods responsible for 44% of people’s sodium intake were to reduce the sodium content of these foods by 25%, they could help prevent an estimated 28,000 deaths annually. With CDC having identified cold cuts and cured meats, as well as fresh and processed poultry, as two of the top-10 categories, processed-meat manufacturers are stepping up to the challenge.Most health and nutrition authorities believe the majority of Americans consume too much sodium. This excess, of what is actually an essential mineral to the human body, is associated with raising blood pressure—a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the first and fourth leading causes of death, respectively, in the United States.
This might help the U.S. health outlook, as consumers are reading ingredient labels and making choices based on sodium content. “In researching health-and-wellness trends, we found that about half of consumers surveyed look at sodium levels when it comes to processed meat products," says Peter Gottsacker, president, Wixon, St. Francis, WI.
Wesley Osburn, associate professor, processed meats, Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station TX, says: “Manufacturers of processed meat products are working diligently to develop strategies to reduce the total sodium content due to both consumer demand and pressure from health and regulatory agencies. The problem is that sodium chloride, also known as salt, is one of the most frequently used ingredients in meat processing. It affects flavor, texture (water and fat binding) and shelf life (lowering the water activity) of meat products.
“The challenge for processed-meat manufacturers is to identify innovative ingredient combinations and/or processing technologies that allow for sodium reduction or replacement with minimal or no negative impact on meat product attributes," Osburn adds.
Salt is necessary
By design, processed meats would not be “processed" if salt wasn’t part of the formula. “Salt is one of the basic ingredients, next to the meat itself, and has a wide variety of functional roles," says Nadeen Myers, food technologist, applications research and technical support, ICL Food Specialties, St. Louis, MO.
According to Osburn, the three primary functional properties of raw-meat materials are water-holding capacity, fat emulsification and protein gelation. “And salt plays a critical role in ensuring these functional properties are attained for processed meat manufacturing," he says.
“To increase the water-holding capacity of meat, the space between the myofibrillar proteins must be increased. Salt does this..
“The addition of salt and water solubilizes myofibrillar proteins," Osburn adds. “This process unfolds the protein structure, exposing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic sites to create a protein film to encapsulate the fat particles to bind fat and added water, also known as emulsification."
And finally, protein gelation occurs when the solubilized myofibrillar proteins undergo a structural change, forming a three-dimensional gel network that immobilizes water. “During the comminution phase (particle-size reduction) for the manufacture of sausage products, water binding is influenced by the addition of salt and the degree of tissue disruption and protein hydration, or swelling," Osburn says.
Ingredient strategies
Salt has proven functionality in processed meat products. And while developers have a range of ingredient solutions to help reduce salt and other sodium-containing ingredients, finding the right mix takes time and effort, according to Matthijs Bults, business development manager, Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals B.V., The Netherlands. He explains that strategies include simply reducing sodium-containing ingredients, replacing sodium with other minerals, using different crystal forms of salt, using aromas associated with salt, enhancing flavors, masking flavors and adding new flavors.
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