# Healthcare Meat Products Are Fashionable--Consumers Love Fashion
## 2 Reduction of Sodium (Na) Content in Meat Products  
Meat and meat products require considerable amounts of sodium (12 to 20% of the total food intake) therefore these products are a priority in terms of the need to reduce the NaCl content [54]. Fermented dry and semi-dry sausages and dry-cured meat products are meat products that are preserved without heat treatment, using only drying and salting/brining, hence they have a higher NaCl content compared to other groups of meat products. The WHO recommends a daily intake (DI) of NaCl of less than 5 g for adults (<2 g of Na) [55]. In a large number of EU countries, this amount is exceeded by more than two-fold. A high daily intake of Na and an insufficient intake of potassium (less than 3.5 g per day) leads to frequent disease resulting from increased blood pressure, which is reflected in a higher risk rate of coronary heart disease, heart attack and brain stroke [56]. As a consequence of this condition, the trend of reduction is inevitable to lower the content of sodium chloride that has been added to meat products [57]. In meat products, Na is essentially incorporated by the addition of NaCl, and on a smaller scale through some other additives widely used as preservatives in meat products (sodium nitrate and nitrite), Na-lactate (added as an emulsifier or flavor enhancer), or Na-ascorbate (used as an antioxidant). The quantity of Na in a fresh meat sample is low (48-80 mg/100 g) [48], and meat products contribute 20-30% of the total amount of salt ingested through the diet [58]. A range of high-value meat products, such as fermented and dry-cured meat products (sausages, hams, or loins) have the greatest amounts of NaCl, which is related to the technological process of dehydration during processing [59]. Salt was probably the first and is nowadays the most common ingredient in meat product preparation. It is very important for technological and sensory properties of meat products as well as for their shelf-life and safety [60; 61]. Moreover, sodium (Na\({}^{+}\)) and chloride (Cl\({}^{-}\)), together with fluorine and iodine (as well as potassium and magnesium) which are often included in table salt, are of great importance for the proper functioning of human organism [42]. The influence of salt on technological and sensory properties depends on the salt content, the type of meat products (e.g., whole muscle, grounded) and the applied production procedures (e.g., drying, heat treatment, grounding, tumbling). In general, salt enables protein solubilization, extraction, activation and hydration, it improves the water-holding capacity (and thus cooking yield and juiciness), meat emulsion formation, and sliceability [42]. In emulsion-type meat products the values of hardness, springiness, cohesiveness and chewiness are higher with higher salt contents which is associated with protein solubilization and extraction [62]. As for dry-fermented sausages, salt promotes gel formation, which leads to the desirable texture and sliceability [63]. The literature data indicate that the reduction of the salt content to about 1.7% in emulsion-type meat products (without phosphates added) and to about 2.2% in dry-fermented sausages is possible without changes in texture properties [63; 64]. In the concentrations between 0.7% and 2.5% salt promotes lipid oxidation due to the inhibition of antioxidant enzymes, while for contents higher than 3% it can protect lipids [42]. Lipid oxidation could promote protein oxidation which could also be associated with the inhibition of antioxidant enzymes by salt [42]. Regarding colour characteristics, potassium and sodium chloride accelerate the formation of red-coloured nitrosylmyoglobin [65]. Food manufacturers face a dilemma: \"How can the NaCl content in food be reduced without affecting and modifying its taste too much?\" This concern of the meat industry is evident by the fact that clean-label meat products can now be found on the market.