Meat+Poultry - January 2024 - 38

INGREDIENT ISSUES
Sodium phosphates
help prevent proteins
from drying out.
enhancers provide an additional dimension
of flavor through the contribution of roasted
flavor notes.
Yeast extracts are used in a similar way as
sodium chloride and are declared on ingredient
decks simply as yeast extract. They don't
produce any of the bitterness or chemical
notes that can sometimes be a byproduct of the
sodium reduction process.
" NuTek also produces plant-based,
natural flavor solutions created through ageold
fermentation and cooking techniques, "
Zimmerman said. " Our natural flavor solutions
deliver umami taste and help to increase salty
flavor perception with 85% less sodium than
standard salt. "
Permeate, a co-product of the manufacture
of high-protein dairy ingredients, contains a
unique concentration of minerals with flavorpotentiating
properties. Three varieties are
available - whey permeate, milk permeate
and delactosed permeate - each possessing
different beneficial functions.
Permeate is most widely utilized in the
dried form, which requires no special handling
from distribution through storage. The dried
powder flows readily and is easy to mix in with
the other ingredients in the formulation.
As mentioned, sodium phosphates help
with the water-holding capacity of proteins,
which prevents them from drying out. This is
particularly important in foodservice products,
that may be kept warm for extensive periods of
time or even reheated.
38 MEAT+POULTRY | 01.24 | www.meatpoultry.com
" Functional proteins can also offer
processors the ability to reduce salt levels in
their products without suffering yield or quality
characteristics, " said Michael Cropp, technical
services manager, Kemin, Des Moines, Iowa.
" The functional proteins undergo a patented
process that allows them to increase waterholding
capacity, removing the need for salt to
perform this function. "
Many antimicrobials used in meat and
poultry applications are buffered closer to
meat pH levels (above the isoelectric point)
to improve processing attributes while still
ensuring microbial safety. This buffering
process often includes sodium as a carrier.
" This impacts the total amount of sodium
in a product, " Cropp said. " Utilizing potassiumbased
salts in place of sodium salts in various
antimicrobials allows processors to ensure
food safety is achieved as well as quality
standards and nutritional guardrails. "
Deli meats rely on buffered vinegar, also
sometimes called dry vinegar, as a cleanlabel
alternative to traditional preservatives
for inhibiting mold growth and maintaining
freshness. Acetic acid is the key active
ingredient in buffered vinegar. It is available
bound to either sodium or potassium.
Interestingly, these vinegar ingredients are
declared on labels as simply dry vinegar or
buffered vinegar.
" Sodium or potassium may be used, but
the label declaration wouldn't necessarily be
impacted, " Cropp said.
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Meat+Poultry - January 2024

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