The impact of high hydrostatic pressure on the functionality and consumer acceptability of reduced sodium naturally cured wieners

The effects of high pressure processing (HPP; 600 MPa for 3 min at 8 °C) on the quality and shelf life of reduced sodium naturally-cured wieners was studied. HPP did not negatively impact processing characteristics and assisted in extending shelf life of all wiener treatments up to a 12 week storage period. At week 8, HPP wieners received higher acceptability scores, indicating HPP can effectively extend the sensory quality of products, including sodium reduced formulations containing natural forms of nitrite. Substitution of 50% NaCl with modified KCl had negative effect on textural characteristics of conventionally cured wieners but not those processed with celery powder as a source of nitrite. Celery powder favorably affected hydration of textural properties of wieners, and consumer acceptability of juiciness and texture was higher compared to nitrite. Sodium reduction, independent of curing agent, negatively impacted flavor acceptability, while only nitrite containing reduced sodium wieners scored significantly lower than both regular salt wieners for texture, juiciness and saltiness.