Salts and Salt Replacers

Sodium chloride is one of the most used additives in the food industry and its specific functions are of particular interest in terms of food processing and preservation. The fundamental role of salt for texture, flavour generation, and as an antimicrobial across the meat, dairy and baked food categories are presented. Consumer concern over dietary salt intake however, has encouraged food industries to consider various strategies for lowering the use of salt while minimising the impact on the food quality. The functions and compositions of a wide range of salt replacers and other ionic compounds with applications in meat, dairy and baked food products are highlighted. Moreover, the positive and negative aspects of salt substitution in terms of food quality and food safety are discussed.