The Risk of Salt Reduction in Dry-Cured Sausage Assessed by the Influence on Water Activity and the Survival of <i>Salmonella</i>
Water activity (aw) is the main hurdle for microbial control in dry-cured sausages. The aw can be influenced by drying or adding electrolytes or humectants. Dry-cured meat products are partially dried, which, together with added salt, results in safe aw values. Currently, there is a trend to reduce...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/3/444 |
| _version_ | 1827660522526343168 |
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| author | Luis Patarata Liliana Fernandes José António Silva Maria João Fraqueza |
| author_facet | Luis Patarata Liliana Fernandes José António Silva Maria João Fraqueza |
| author_sort | Luis Patarata |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water activity (aw) is the main hurdle for microbial control in dry-cured sausages. The aw can be influenced by drying or adding electrolytes or humectants. Dry-cured meat products are partially dried, which, together with added salt, results in safe aw values. Currently, there is a trend to reduce salt in meat products, which can compromise the preservation process. The present work aims to evaluate the influences of added salt levels (1% or 3%) and the use or omission of phosphates and wine on the aw of a dry-cured sausage, and to evaluate the possibility of estimating the aw from the moisture loss and the behavior of <i>Salmonella</i> during dry-cured sausage (<i>chouriço</i>) processing. There was a strong relationship between moisture and aw, regardless of the salt level and the presence of phosphates or wine. Predicting aw from moisture loss is possible using the Boltzmann sigmoid function. The salt level strongly influences <i>Salmonella</i> behavior, mainly through aw reduction. An increase in aw by 0.01 units reduced the odds of achieving a 5-log reduction in <i>Salmonella</i> counts to half. Increasing added salt from 1% to 3% increased the odds of achieving a 5-log <i>Salmonella</i> reduction 7.5-fold. The current trend to reduce salt in foods must be carefully approached if applied to cured meat products, as it has substantial consequences on aw evolution and <i>Salmonella</i> survival. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:52:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-abd05379cead43cd8ef712e0f4465dc5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:52:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-abd05379cead43cd8ef712e0f4465dc52023-11-23T16:31:02ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582022-02-0111344410.3390/foods11030444The Risk of Salt Reduction in Dry-Cured Sausage Assessed by the Influence on Water Activity and the Survival of <i>Salmonella</i>Luis Patarata0Liliana Fernandes1José António Silva2Maria João Fraqueza3CECAV, Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, PortugalCECAV, Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, PortugalCECAV, Centro de Ciência Animal e Veterinária, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, PortugalCIISA, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, PortugalWater activity (aw) is the main hurdle for microbial control in dry-cured sausages. The aw can be influenced by drying or adding electrolytes or humectants. Dry-cured meat products are partially dried, which, together with added salt, results in safe aw values. Currently, there is a trend to reduce salt in meat products, which can compromise the preservation process. The present work aims to evaluate the influences of added salt levels (1% or 3%) and the use or omission of phosphates and wine on the aw of a dry-cured sausage, and to evaluate the possibility of estimating the aw from the moisture loss and the behavior of <i>Salmonella</i> during dry-cured sausage (<i>chouriço</i>) processing. There was a strong relationship between moisture and aw, regardless of the salt level and the presence of phosphates or wine. Predicting aw from moisture loss is possible using the Boltzmann sigmoid function. The salt level strongly influences <i>Salmonella</i> behavior, mainly through aw reduction. An increase in aw by 0.01 units reduced the odds of achieving a 5-log reduction in <i>Salmonella</i> counts to half. Increasing added salt from 1% to 3% increased the odds of achieving a 5-log <i>Salmonella</i> reduction 7.5-fold. The current trend to reduce salt in foods must be carefully approached if applied to cured meat products, as it has substantial consequences on aw evolution and <i>Salmonella</i> survival.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/3/444water activityawdry-cured sausages<i>chouriço</i>saltphosphates |
| spellingShingle | Luis Patarata Liliana Fernandes José António Silva Maria João Fraqueza The Risk of Salt Reduction in Dry-Cured Sausage Assessed by the Influence on Water Activity and the Survival of <i>Salmonella</i> Foods water activity aw dry-cured sausages <i>chouriço</i> salt phosphates |
| title | The Risk of Salt Reduction in Dry-Cured Sausage Assessed by the Influence on Water Activity and the Survival of <i>Salmonella</i> |
| title_full | The Risk of Salt Reduction in Dry-Cured Sausage Assessed by the Influence on Water Activity and the Survival of <i>Salmonella</i> |
| title_fullStr | The Risk of Salt Reduction in Dry-Cured Sausage Assessed by the Influence on Water Activity and the Survival of <i>Salmonella</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Risk of Salt Reduction in Dry-Cured Sausage Assessed by the Influence on Water Activity and the Survival of <i>Salmonella</i> |
| title_short | The Risk of Salt Reduction in Dry-Cured Sausage Assessed by the Influence on Water Activity and the Survival of <i>Salmonella</i> |
| title_sort | risk of salt reduction in dry cured sausage assessed by the influence on water activity and the survival of i salmonella i |
| topic | water activity aw dry-cured sausages <i>chouriço</i> salt phosphates |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/3/444 |
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