To tell the story of meat and salt is recounting a history that’s likely as old as meat-eating itself. Salt is the original and greatest flavor-enhancer and preservative; its utility is apparent and familiar to all.
But today, on the advice of doctors, dieticians, governments and influencers, many people want to reduce the amount of sodium in their diets.
Research by Innova Market Insights shows that low/no/reduced-salt claims have increased in every major region of the globe.
Here in the U.S., deli department items with "sodium free" claims are up 10% in year-over-year volume (NIQ), and a “Power of Meat” study teaches that one-third of consumers want to see the sodium content highlighted on packaging (Global, 2017 to 2021).
Food manufacturers have responded to consumer demand for reduced salt by striving to balance flavor, food safety, and health.
The challenges
Current dietary guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommend no more than 2,300 mg/day of sodium, a target that is usually exceeded in the American diet. In 2021, the FDA issued guidance for the industry about voluntary sodium reduction, recognizing that more than 70% of dietary sodium is embedded within ingredients or added during processing for food safety and flavor. Meat products are well represented among the foods for which the FDA is encouraging less salt.
Canada is taking further action — requiring front-of-package nutrition symbols on products where sodium-per-serving thresholds are exceeded. Enforcement will begin in 2026.
These measures challenge processors to find ways to cut sodium content in their products without sacrificing the many benefits of salt.
It's not simple
Food formulations behave much like interconnected ecosystems: change or remove one element, and you shift the balance of the entire system — often leading to unintended and undesirable results.
For example: A meat processor wants to create a reduced-sodium formulation to address consumers’ health concerns, but lowering salt content makes microbial inhibition more difficult. Why? Because reducing salt increases water activity, creating conditions more favorable to microorganisms; therefore, the risks of spoilage and pathogen go up. Reducing sodium also reduces solubilization and extraction of proteins, which decreases water-binding, sacrificing cook yield, and compromising product texture and sliceability. All of this is on top of the inevitable loss of flavor that comes with reducing the amount of a single component in the food system.
Solutions
There is no silver-bullet ingredient that can achieve the desired sodium reductions. Corbion is doing its part by making ingredient options that have very low or no sodium embedded in them, with minimal flavor impact.
Potassium is a common substitute, but it is not always the best-tasting. Calcium can be manageable in some meat applications, and combinations of sodium and other counter-ions sometimes strike the best balance of flavor, function, and pragmatism. From there the work goes to the flavorist, who can choose from any number of natural flavors to boost savory notes or introduce flavors that modulate bitterness.
The flavor contribution of the antimicrobial system itself is routinely overlooked. Often lost in the discussion is the fact that both acetates and lactates are dually recognized by the FDA and USDA as antimicrobials and as flavors. Their natural antimicrobial alternatives typically have even more intense organoleptic responses in the application. Plant extracts, yeasts, live cultures, and other like products can provide functionality with flavor — but not all reduce salt.
With flavor technology alone, a 10% to 20% reduction in sodium is doable. If the target is more ambitious, and a label claim is desired (i.e., 50% reduction), the R&D technologist will need to take a more creative approach to balance expectations of great flavor, processing ability and food protection.
The good news is that it is possible to reduce sodium substantially by using natural, clean label ingredients without ill effect on taste or function. The ensemble approach allows producers to offer products that satisfy both the nutritional goals and the palates of today’s consumers.
