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

Dietary salt as a health hazard

The current WHO recommendation is an intake of no more than 5 g of salt per day. This level is not high enough to be a health hazard in healthy people, because in adults the kidney is capable of removing the excess salt from the bloodstream. However, it can exacerbate problems in people who have an existing blood pressure problem or kidney disorder. When a person's capacity to excrete excess sodium is overstretched, the amount that remains in the body presents a risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, bone demineralization and stomach cancer (He and MacGregor, 2007). Many authorities also agree that long-term high salt intake in otherwise healthy individuals can be associated with the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.

The main risks associated with excessive salt consumption depend on the presence of an underlying condition in the individual, which makes them sensitive to excessive salt. For example, people with hypertension are advised to limit salt intake as a precautionary measure to limit their blood pressure. Whenever clinical hypertension is recognized, a key treatment is reduction of the patient's salt intake.

Activity 1.1

What methods can you think of that may be used to measure sodium intake? Make a note of the potential advantages and disadvantages associated with each method.

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