# Characterisation and numerical modelling of water and salt transfers in low-fat dryfermented sausages

Charles N'Gatta, Raphael Favier, Jason Sicard, Pierre-Sylvain Mirade

► To cite this version:

Charles N'Gatta, Raphael Favier, Jason Sicard, Pierre-Sylvain Mirade. Characterisation and numerical modelling of water and salt transfers in low-fat dryfermented sausages. International Congress of Meat Science and Technology (ICoMST), Aug 2025, Girona, Spain. hal-05216563

HAL Id: hal-05216563

https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05216563v1

Submitted on 20 Aug 2025

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access
archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci-
entific research documents, whether they are pub-
lished or not. The documents may come from
teaching and research institutions in France or
abroad, or from public or private research centers.

L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est
destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents
scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non,
émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de
recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires
publics ou privés.

<figure><img src="image_1.png" /></figure>

Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
<figure><img src="image_2.png" /></figure>

RÉPUBLIQUE
FRANÇAISE

Liberté
Égalité
Fraternité

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /></figure>

# Characterisation and numerical modelling of water and salt transfers in low-fat dry-fermented sausages

N'Gatta K. C. A.*, Favier R., Sicard J., Mirade P.-S.

INRAE, Quality of Animal Products

*Corresponding author email: charles.ngatta@inrae.fr

## Background

Low-fat dry-fermented sausages are increasingly popular among consumers who prefer lower calorie deli meats; however, this fat reduction can affect moisture retention. The drying-ripening process is part of the dry fermented sausages production. During this operation, the products can be affected by several negative developments, in particular by surface microflora growth defects, texture defects with products that are excessively tough and excessive deformation, which can result in losses for the meat industry. These problems are attributable to various physico-chemical reactions, which are often interlinked, leading to difficulties in understanding and controlling the physico-chemical phenomena involved.

## Objective

In this study, we experimentally explored the time-course evolution of moisture and salt contents, water activity (Aw) in a model lean fermented sausage over the entire curing process that lasted 3 weeks.

## Materials & Methods

## Results

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /></figure>

## Conclusions & Perspectives

Intense moisture and salt gradients are observed in low-fat dry-fermented sausages. The model offers a practical tool for making real-time process adjustments and optimizing drying conditions to achieve consistent product quality. Accurate prediction of water activity will contribute to more consistent growth of surface microflora by identifying risks of imbalance early on. Future studies, 2D or 3D, could examine how product heterogeneity can lead to irregular or excessive deformation.