Understanding salt reduction in fat-reduced hot dog sausages: Network structure, emulsion stability and consumer acceptance.

High sodium and fat contents are cause of concerns for industries and consumers of meat products. Direct reduction of NaCl and fat is a useful strategy to understand how these ingredients interfere with the quality parameters of an emulsified meat product and how to reduce them without significant changes from the original product. The aim of this work was to understand salt reduction in fat-reduced (10 g fat/100 g product) hot dog sausages. Five NaCl concentrations were tested: 1% (F1), 1.25% (F1.25), 1.50% (F1.50), 1.75% (F1.75) and 2% (F2 - control). Proximate composition, sodium content, water activity, pH, emulsion stability, color, texture, scanning electron microscopy results and sensory attributes (just-about-right and acceptance tests) were assessed. Emulsion stability decreased (P < 0.05) with salt reduction. Salt reduction increased water activity. Microscopic images showed a more compact matrix with the decrease in salt content. Sausages with the minimum (F1) and maximum (F2) amounts of salt were less accepted by consumers. A reduction of 26.8% of sodium can be obtained (with the formulation F1.25), allowing the labeling of sodium-reduced sausage and with acceptance by consumers.