Sodium reduction in Turkey breast meat by using sodium anion species

This study aims at reducing the overall sodium content in turkey meat application by using alternative sodium species. Initial experiments studied the sodium absorption across the temperature range of 4 to 90 °C which showed higher sodium content for thermally processed samples over a longer cooking time. Overall, the adsorption rate was found to be slower and was not affected by protein denaturation. Additional experiments studied the sodium diffusion by replacing sodium chloride with alternative sodium salts with comparatively larger anions, which resulted in, 20–46% reduction in overall sodium content of thermally processed turkey cubes. A sensory test conducted amongst 46 untrained panelists evaluated consumer “liking” of the turkey meat cooked in 20 g/L of sodium chloride, disodium phosphate and 50:50 g:g blend solution of both sodium salts. The acceptability test resulted in higher overall liking of the partially reduced salt sample compared to the control.
Source: LWT Food Science and Technology - Category: Food Science Source Type: research