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Salting Curing Mixtures

Salting meat and fish involves introducing salt to reduce water activity through osmosis, slowing microbial growth and extending shelf-life. Salt draws water out of flesh through osmosis, reducing available water for microbes to grow. In addition to preserving food, salt also enhances flavor, improves texture, and causes microbial cell death through electrolyte imbalance. However, too much salt consumption has been linked to health issues like increased blood pressure and kidney disease.

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Asia Velasco
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60 views2 pages

Salting Curing Mixtures

Salting meat and fish involves introducing salt to reduce water activity through osmosis, slowing microbial growth and extending shelf-life. Salt draws water out of flesh through osmosis, reducing available water for microbes to grow. In addition to preserving food, salt also enhances flavor, improves texture, and causes microbial cell death through electrolyte imbalance. However, too much salt consumption has been linked to health issues like increased blood pressure and kidney disease.

Uploaded by

Asia Velasco
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Salting 

involves introducing salt into the flesh of fish or meat to extend its shelf-life.

Salt has the ability to reduce water activity in food through a process called Osmosis.

Water activity refers to the amount of “free” or “non-chemically bound” water in food


that is available for microbial growth.

Osmosis is the movement of water or other solvents from a region of low solute


concentration to a region of high solute concentration. As such, when salt is introduced,
the free or unbound water in meat or fish moves out and bonds with salt. Due to the loss
of water, the growth of microbes slows down and leads to its eventual death.

Salt or sodium chloride (NaCl) is the world’s oldest food preservative. Salt has several
qualities which makes it a staple ingredient in food processing:

1. Enhances flavor;

2. Improves texture; 

3. Reduces water activity; 

4. Causes microbial cells to undergo osmotic shock and lose water, resulting to
retardation of growth;

5. It causes electrolyte imbalance within microbial cell walls which cause bacterial
death.

However, salt as an ingredient must be monitored because too much salt in the diet of
consumers can lead to a number of health conditions including increased blood
pressure linked to cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney diseases, osteoporosis, and
stomach cancer. 

Sugar is a carbohydrate primarily used in curing for its characteristic flavor. Sugar can
be added to:

1. Counteract the harshness of salt;

2. Provide energy for bacteria that changes nitrate into nitrite;

3. Reduce water activity


Water is a tasteless and odorless liquid that dissolves curing agents and acts as a
dispersing agent for nitrites. 

Curing agents – sodium or potassium nitrate and sodium or potassium nitrite – gives
meat products the unique and distinctive properties of cured meat products.

o Nitrites are responsible for cured meat color, flavor, flavor protection, and
bacterial inhibition.

o Nitrates are used for meat that undergo longer curing processes such as dry sausage
and dry-cured hams. Nitrate acts as a reservoir of nitrite during the extended curing
time. 

o Phosphates are the salts of phosphoric acid used in food processing for its properties
such as – emulsification, stabilization, water retention.  

Seasoning such as herbs and spices are added to enhance the flavor of meat. Herbs
come from leaves of plants meanwhile spices can come from the root, stem, bark, seed,
fruit, or flower of a plant. Herbs are often consumed in their fresh form while spices are
consumed in dried form.

• Herbs: parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme, dill, bay leaf

• Spices: pepper, cinnamon bark, turmeric, cumin, paprika, garlic powder

Some herbs and spices have antioxidant and bacteriostatic properties. 

Extenders are optional high-protein sources added to cured meat to reduce cost. 

Examples:

Soy Protein Isolate

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