Effect of the sodium reduction and smoking system on quality and safety of smoked salmon (Salmo salar)

• Published in: Food and Chemical Toxicology
• Main Authors: Muñoz, Israel, Guàrdia, Maria Dolors, Arnau, Jacint, Dalgaard, Paw, Bover, Sara, Fernandes, José O., Monteiro, Carolina, Cunha, Sara C., Gonçalves, Amparo, Nunes, Maria Leonor, Oliveira, Helena
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Food quality; Food safety; Potassium chloride; Smoked salmon; Sodium reduction; /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being; name=SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being; Salmo salar
• Online Access: https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/665564db-285b-4a55-a61d-86b163f1676f; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2020.111554; https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/files/217586024/Munoz_et_al._Food_and_Chemical_Toxicology.pdf

Excessive sodium (Na) intake has been associated with high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, sodium reduction is a public health challenge worldwide. The aim of this study was to develop smoked salmon with a reduced Na content. Sodium chloride (NaCl) was replaced by potassium chloride (KCl) at 25% and 50% (molar replacement) and studied in combination with two smoking procedures (natural wood and liquid smoke) as well as two smoking temperatures (18-19 °C or 56 °C). Smoked salmon samples were characterized by physicochemical, sensory and microbiological analyses. No major differences were observed regarding physicochemical properties in the studied treatments. Smoked samples with 50% of NaCl replaced by KCl were slightly more bitter than those with 25% whereas samples with 25% of replacement did not show differences to those with non-reduced Na content (5 g of added NaCl per 100 g of salmon). Molar Na:K ratio decreased from 4,3 in controls to 1,4 and 0,6 in samples with a NaCl reduction level of 25% and 50% respectively. Microbiological assessment indicates that 2-week shelf-life would be appropriate and safe in terms of accomplishment of the EU regulation, taking into account foreseeable storage temperatures (up to 8 °C). Thus, it is possible to achieve a reduction of 25–50% of NaCl in smoked salmon by replacing NaCl by KCl and considerer this product as a “source” of K.