Non-equilibrium thermodynamic approach to analyze the pork meat (Longissimus dorsi) salting process

Salting treatment is a common operation in high quality meat production, which main objectives are to conserve the product by water activity depression and to transform the sensorial properties of fresh meat to the final meat products (like salted, cured, dried or cooked meat products). One of its main problems is the difficulty to control the simultaneous water and salt fluxes into the product and the protein fibers transformation throughout process. Water and salt transport during osmotic treatment of pork meat (Longissimus dorsi) immersed in saturated salt solution, were investigated by using a thermodynamic approach. In this work the effect of rigor mortis state in the salting treatment has been demonstrated. A thermodynamic model in non-equilibrium has been developed for describing the different behaviors involved in salting process.