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.
Influence of reduced sodium chloride content on the fermentation and quality of dry fermented sausages
