DIALING BACK SODIUM

摘要

Most consumed sodium comes from salt, chemically known as sodium chloride. And while reducing sodium is a priority for the food industry, as too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, one of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke, with many industrially prepared foods, sodium reduction efforts are far more complex than simply adding less salt. This is particularly true with many meat and poultry products where salt plays a role not just in taste, but in texture and safety. "Sodium is very important for a number of functions in processed-meat products, first and foremost is flavor," says Jeff Sindelar, Ph.D., associate professor and extension meat specialist in the department of animal sciences at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. "Sodium also helps provide the texture consumers are accustomed to as well as for safety to control pathogenic bacteria and spoilage."