Textural, microstructural and sensory properties of reduced sodium frankfurter sausages containing mechanically deboned poultry meat and blends of chloride salts

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of salt substitutes on the textural, microstructural and sensory properties in low-cost frankfurter sausages produced using mechanically deboned poultry meat (MDPM) as a potential strategy to reduce sodium in this meat product. In nine treatments, blends of calcium, sodium and potassium chloride were used to substitute 25% or 50% of the NaCl in sausages (at the same ionic strength and molar basis equivalent to 2% NaCl). When NaCl was partially replaced by 50% CaCl2 (F6), the batter presented the highest total liquid released, and the corresponding final product showed increased hardness when compared to the control formulation (100% NaCl, C1). Its respective microstructural analysis revealed numerous pores arranged in a noncompacted matrix, which could be explained by the lowest emulsion stability reported for samples with 50% CaCl2 and 50% NaCl. Frankfurter sausages produced using blends containing 25% CaCl2 (F2, F4) and 25 and 50% KCl (F4, F5) did not exhibit differences in the pH, aw and objective color in the frankfurters (p < 0.05). The overall acceptability and flavor of the frankfurters containing 50% NaCl without salt substitution (C3), 25% CaCl2, 25% KCl (F4), and 50% KCl (F5) showed the worst scores compared to those of the control formulation (C1). These results may be useful to select salt blends containing KCl, CaCl2 and NaCl to reduce the sodium in sausages containing high concentrations of MPDM at an ionic equivalent strength to the NaCl commonly used in traditional formulations.