Meat+Poultry - January 2022 - 42

INGREDIENT ISSUES
sustainably and with minimal
compromise on taste, " said
Garrett McCoy, senior manager
of research, development and
applications, Corbion, Lenexa, Kan.
" Through these products, we are able
to replace the antimicrobials that bring
sodium into the formula with those that don't,
address shelf-life and safety concerns that
arise when overall salt level is reduced and
add natural flavoring via cultured sugar, which
helps to enhance savory notes such as salty,
sweet and umami. "
" Up to 100% sodium reduction as delivered
by the antimicrobial ingredient may be
achieved, " McCoy said. " Our cultured sugar
ingredient has been shown to maintain taste in
20%-reduced sodium meat products, enabling a
front-of-pack claim to the nutritional benefits. "
Potineni said, " Many processors are looking
for alternatives to conventional liquid, sodiumbased
preservation solutions for meat and
poultry. Reasons for this can include supply
chain challenges, as well as targeting sodium
reduction. When our partners are looking to
reformulate, we can adjust the approach based
on priorities for their product lines. "
He identified two common approaches. One
is to use the time to reformulate to clean label.
" With lactic acid prices approaching levels
comparable to those of buffered vinegar,
a customer can reformulate to clean label
targeting benefits like no sodium, more supply
security and comparable price bands and
can often gain a consumer premium from
reformulating to more natural solutions, "
Potineni said. " This can be done with
potassium buffered vinegars. "
" The other is to stick to conventional
preservation, leveraging acetic acid-based
technologies to reformulate for cost
savings, targeting benefits like no sodium,
comparable taste and shelf life, " Potineni said.
" Potassium salts can be leveraged here, too, to
reduce sodium. "
Michael Cropp, technical services associate,
Kemin Food Technologies, North America,
Des Moines, Iowa, said, " Many antimicrobials
in meat are buffered closer to meat pH levels
(above isoelectric point) to improve processing
attributes while still ensuring microbial safety
and shelf life. However, the buffering process
typically includes sodium as a carrier. Utilizing
potassium-based salts in place of sodium salts
in various antimicrobials allows processors to
ensure food quality and safety standards are
met as well as nutritional guardrails. "
The conventional ingredient would typically
read " dry vinegar " or " buffered vinegar, "
regardless of whether or not sodium or
potassium salt is utilized. Label declaration
won't change, but nutritional sodium content
levels would be lowered.
Managing water activity includes the
addition of binders such as fibers, gums and
phosphates. Innophos, Cranbury, NJ, offers
a phosphate blend for meat and poultry
marinades that assists with sodium reduction
while effectively binding water and improving
yield. Applications include everything from deli
meats to hot dogs.
" Depending on the application, we
have data showcasing anywhere from a
10% to 45% reduction in sodium, " said Amr
Shaheed, technical services and application
development manager.
Potineni said that the industry is moving
forward on FDA's guidance.
" Meat and poultry processors are quite
interested in sodium reduction as this has
been on their radar for some time now, " he
said. " They're also interested in clean-label
solutions that reduce the number of chemicalsounding
ingredients on their labels. Any
sodium reduction solutions must maintain the
protection of the food's safety while meeting
goals of reducing sodium content. "
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