Progress in Research on the Effect of Sodium on Meat Product Quality and Sodium Reduction Technologies

Sodium plays an important role in improving the flavor and texture as well as prolonging the shelf life of meat products. It is one of the most widely used food additives in the processing of meat products. However, excess sodium intake can increase the incidence of many diseases such as stomach cancer, osteoporosis, nephropathy, diabetes and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, reasonable reduction of sodium use and the application of appropriate sodium reduction technologies are essential for the field of meat processing. In this paper, the effects of sodium on the quality of meat products are reviewed and the conventional sodium reduction methods (such as directly reducing the addition of sodium, changing the physical form of sodium, using sodium substitutes, and adding flavor enhancers or quality improvers) and the novel processing technologies (such as ultrasound, ultra-high pressure, pulsed electric field and micronization) for the production of low-sodium meat products are summarized. This review is expected to provide a theoretical reference for improving the quality and processing of low-sodium meat products.