Effect of NaCl substitutes on the physical, microbial and sensory characteristics of Harbin dry sausage

The effect of partial replacement of NaCl by using sodium substitutes (SS) on the physical, microbial and sensory characteristics of Harbin dry sausage was investigated. There were three salt formulations, including control (100% NaCl), NaCl partly substituted by KCl (SS1) (70% NaCl and 30% KCl), and NaCl partly substituted by KCL combined with other components (SS2) (70% NaCl, 20% KCl, 3.5% maltodextrin, 4% L-Lys, 1% L-Ala, 0.5% citric acid and 1% Ca-lactate). After a 12-day fermentation, the higher moisture content and Aw and lower pH were found in the SS2 treatment, compared to the control and SS1 treatments (1) < .05). A decreased microbial diversity during fermentation was found in all sausages, and Staphylococcus spp. and Lactobacillus spp. became the dominant genera. Additionally, the SS2 treatment showed a higher L*-value and lower hardness and chewiness values (P < .05). Therefore, the formulation of SS2 could achieve a NaCl reduction of 30% in Harbin dry sausages with a better sensory acceptability.