Low salt pig-meat products and novel formulations

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
   1. Objectives:
   2. Learning goals
   3. Teacher page
2. Section 1: Salt and Human Health
   1. Sodium and human physiology
   2. Trends in salt consumption
   3. Dietary salt as a health hazard
   4. Epidemiological studies
   5. High blood pressure
   6. Stroke
   7. Death from cardiovascular disease
   8. Osteoporosis
   9. Stomach cancer
   10. References
3. Section 2: Salt Content of Pig-meat Products
   1. Salt concentration in different pig-meat products
   2. Low-salt products in Europe
   3. Comparisons between various processed products
   4. References
4. Section 3: Science of salt in pig products
   1. From muscle to meat
   2. Effect of salt content on chemical and physical properties and implications for organoleptic properties
   3. Problems related to meat pH
   4. Effect of salt content on microbiological properties in processed meat products
   5. Consequences of reducing salt content
   6. References
5. Section 4 Low-salt Pig Meat Formulations
   1. General points to consider when manufacturing processed pork
   2. Balancing low salt with substitutes, enhancers and alternatives
   3. Effect of low sodium on eating quality, shelf-life and functional properties
   4. Optimum concentrations
   5. Cooked sausages
   6. Frankfurters
   7. Dry fermented sausage
   8. Ground patties
   9. Dry-cured ham
   10. Restructured meats (wet cured ham)
   11. Bacon
   12. Novel approaches in product formulation
   13. Other approaches
   14. Conclusions
   15. References
6. Discussion
7. Glossary
8. Completion
   1. Comments
   2. Self assessment
   3. Evaluation
9. Acknowledgment

Section 1: Salt and Human Health

This section considers the role of salt in human physiology and the health hazards associated with consuming a diet that contains high levels of salt.

Background

The health hazards associated with consuming excessive amounts of salt (sodium chloride) are well understood, but there is less agreement about the levels of salt intake that should be considered unsafe. Some people consider that today's dietary salt intake is not hazardous to health and that the WHO recommendations on maximum daily intake are based on inadequate scientific evidence. Others say that it is impossible to regulate salt intake in a population of people as if they were laboratory animals, and so the evidence behind such recommendations is never going to be entirely reliable. Instead, recommendations should be reached by consensus and be based on the weight of evidence supported by pathophysiological findings. Most of the evidence has been obtained from retrospective epidemiological studies and it is difficult to determine which came first, the exposure or the outcome. Nevertheless there are accepted recommendations and guidelines on the daily salt intake compatible with good health