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

From muscle to meat

Glycolysis is one of the key metabolic pathways in the conversion of muscle to meat. In living tissue glycolysis helps generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for cellular functions. This includes muscle contraction and it also helps initiate relaxation; Ca²⁺ is removed from the sarcoplasm via ATP-dependent Ca²⁺ pump, thereby removing the ability of Ca²⁺ to induce and sustain contraction.

In post-mortem muscle, the tissue attempts to maintain homeostasis by preserving ATP concentration. However, due to circulation failure following exsanguination, muscle lacks the oxygen required for oxidative metabolism. Consequently, muscle glycogen is metabolized via anaerobic glycolysis, which is less efficient at generating ATP. Thus, as post-mortem metabolism continues, glycogen and ATP levels decline and lactic acid accumulates, lowering muscle pH. This process results in an overall pH decline to an ultimate pH (pH_u) of about 5.4 to 5.7 at 24 hours after slaughter (Bowker et al., 2000).

Activity 3.1

Consider the physical effects of stress on livestock. How does pre-slaughter stress affect post-mortem muscle acidification?

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