Reducing salt: A challenge for the meat industry
Introduction
The addition of salt to foodstuffs has become a major issue for the processed food sector, in particular the meat industry, as a result of campaigns by public health bodies, in particular, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK. Recent reports from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI, 2005a) and the Food Standards Agency in the UK (SACN, 2003) have shown that the average daily sodium (salt) intake from foods in Irish and UK adults has been estimated as 3.3–3.9 g (8.3–10 g salt). The FSA and The Institute of Medicine, The National Academy of Science in the USA recommend an upper level of no higher than 6 g of salt per day by 2010. Similar recommendations have been made in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (US Dept of Health & Human Services, 2005). The association between excessive sodium intake and the development of hypertension (Dahl, 1972, Fries, 1976, MacGregor and Sever, 1996, MacGregor and de wardener, 2002) has prompted public health and regulatory authorities to recommend reducing dietary intake of salt (NaCl). Hypertension is a major risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. The results of the DASH sodium study (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) showed a graded linear relation between salt intake and blood pressure (Appel et al., 1997). The cost of CVD to the EU economy is estimated at €169B per annum (Petersen et al., 2005) while in the US the estimated direct and indirect cost of CVD for 2006 is $403.1B (Thom et al., 2006). However, it must be stated that sodium intake is one of many factors that contribute to the possible development of CVD.
In Ireland, cured and processed meats contribute 20.5% to the sodium intake (Table 1). Similarly, in the UK, meat and meat products contribute 20.8% to the sodium intake. In the USA, meat and meat products contribute 21.0% to the sodium intake (Engstrom, Tobelmann, & Albertson, 1997). In October 2003, the FSA produced a salt model in order for the UK food industry to reduce the amount of salt in food products. The FSA model targeted a 50% reduction in bacon and ham, 40% reduction in burgers or patties and a 43% reduction in sausages. However, these reductions where seen by the industry as unachievable. In August 2005, the FSA sought views on new proposed targets for a number of products including meat products. The new proposed targets (g/100 g) to be achieved by 2010 (Table 2) are a maximum of 3.0 g salt/1.4 g sodium for bacon; 2.5 g salt/1 g sodium for ham/other cured meats; 1.4 g salt/550 mg sodium for sausages; 1.8 g salt/700 mg for cooked uncured meats; 1.0 g salt/400 mg sodium for burgers/patties/grill steaks and 1 g salt/400 mg for coated poultry products (FSA, 2006).
As a result of the ongoing campaign by public health authorities, the following paper examines how both the meat and food ingredient industries are responding to this public health issue.
Section snippets
Functionality of salt
Salt has been used since ancient times for the preservation of meat products and is one of the most commonly used ingredients in processed meat products. In the modern meat industry salt is used as a flavouring or flavour enhancer and is also responsible for the desired textural properties of processed meats. Salt imparts a number of functional properties in meat products: it activates proteins to increase hydration and water-binding capacity; it increases the binding properties of proteins to
Role of salt in meat products
Salt has a flavour enhancing effect in meat products, with the perceived saltiness mainly due to the Na+ with the Cl− anion modifying the perception (Ruusunen and Puolanne, 2005, Miller and Barthoshuk, 1991). Fat and salt jointly contribute to many of the sensory properties in processed meats. Matulis, McKeith, Sutherland, and Brewer (1995) have shown that as the salt levels rise, the increase in saltiness is more noticeable in more fatty products that lean ones. Ruusunen et al., 2001a,
Effect of salt on microbial stability
The preservation and shelf life of processed meats is of vital importance when reducing the salt levels. Reducing NaCl levels below those typically used without any other preservative measure has been shown to reduce product shelf life (Madril and Sofos, 1985, Sofos, 1983, Sofos, 1985). Whiting, Benedict, Kunsch, and Woychik (1984) found that reducing the level of salt by 60% to 1.5% resulted in a more rapid growth in natural flora of frankfurters. Reducing the salt level by 50% to 1.25% in
Salt content in meat products
For the most part, the Food Standards Agency in the UK has been leading the way in trying to get both consumers and the food industry to reduce their sodium intake and usage in foods. Table 3 shows the nutritional composition of typical meat products in both Ireland/UK and the USA. Sodium occurs naturally in beef, pork and poultry meats ranging from 50 to 70 mg per 100 g (Table 3). Most processed meat products contain variable amounts of salt and are associated with high salt contents. In
Approaches to salt reduction in meat products
One of the biggest barriers to salt replacement is cost as salt is one of the cheapest food ingredients available. Also, consumers have grown accustomed to salt through processed foods so in some cases it has being difficult to remove as previously discussed. Another issue is that although there are alternatives to salt in term of functionality some consumers and retailers may not be comfortable with these new ingredients on the label (Searby, 2006). However, apart from lowering the level of
Use of salt substitutes
Potassium chloride is probably the most common salt substitute used in low- or reduced salt/sodium foods. However at blends over 50:50 sodium chloride/potassium chloride in solution, a significant increase in bitterness and loss of saltiness is observed. In Ireland, the FSAI scientific committee (FSAI, 2005a) was of the opinion that the use of low sodium salts incorporating potassium salts could not be endorsed at this time. Concerns were raised about the possible vulnerability of certain
Use of flavour enhancers and masking agents
There are a number of flavour enhancing and masking agents commercially available and the number of products coming to the market is increasing. These include yeast extracts, lactates, monosodium glutamate and nucleotides amongst others. Taste enhancers work by activating receptors in the mouth and throat, which helps compensate for the salt reduction (Brandsma, 2006). Pasin et al. (1989) found that it was possible to reduce the NaCl by 75% in pork sausage patties using a modified KCl salt,
Optimising the physical form of salt
The perception of salt in the solid form is affected by crystal size and shape. Research has been carried out using various forms (flaked versus granular) as a method of reducing salt content in meat products. Flake type salt has been shown to be more functional, in terms of binding, increasing pH, increasing protein solubilisation and improve cooking yield, in model emulsion systems (Campbell, 1979). Flake salt has better and more rapid solubility than granular salt, and this may be critical
Alternative processing techniques
Monahan and Troy (1997) conclude that research should also be directed towards the meat system itself and methods of enhancing the functionality of the meat system to low salt formulations, such as use of pre-rigor meat and high pressure technologies. Pre-rigor meat is known for its superior functionality in terms of extractability of myofibrillar proteins, bind and water-holding capacity (Claus & Sørheim, 2006). The sodium content of can be reduced when using pre-rigor meat without
Conclusions
The ultimate goal of ingredient suppliers and meat processors is to produce reduced sodium meat products that consumers can enjoy as part of an ongoing healthier diet and lifestyle. The strategies for and consequences of salt reduction are discussed in this article. This was by no means an all-encompassing discussion, but an attempt to review some of the technological aspects of reduced salt meat products and how the meat and food ingredient industries are responding to this current health
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