Physicochemical properties and microbiology of dry-cured loins obtained by partial sodium replacement with potassium, calcium and magnesium

The partial replacement of sodium chloride by other chloride salts has been proposed as a possible strategy to reduce the sodium content of cured meat products. m of this study was to evaluate the effect brought about by partial replacement of NaCl with KCl, CaCl2 and MgCl2 on physicochemical and microbiological parameters of dry-cured pork loin after the curing and drying process. placement of around 70% NaCl significantly increased the hardness and chewiness of dry-cured loins but it is possible to obtain low sodium dry-cured loin, up to 45% substitution by potassium (25%), calcium (15%) and magnesium (5%), with no significant effects either on the physicochemical characteristics or the microbial counts compared with the traditional product with the usual amounts of sodium chloride.