Potential use of glasswort powder as a salt replacer for production of healthier dry-cured ham products

The World Health Organization has recommended reducing sodium intake as well as its content in food products to reduce the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Glasswort (Salicornia herbacea L.), a halophyte naturally growing in the salt marshes over the world, has widely been used as a salt replacer in the production of many food types. In this study, the impacts of replacement of 50% NaCl with 20 and 40 g/kg of glasswort powder on the quality characteristics of four different dry-cured pork cuts including Bulgi (semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and adduct muscles), Seolgit (biceps femoris muscle), Dogani (quadriceps femoris muscle), and Boseop (middle gluteal and gracilis muscles) were investigated. Our results revealed that the replacement of 50% salt with glasswort powder did not cause any defects of technological quality, colour, texture, and sensory quality of the finished products. As expected, the replacement of 50% salt with glasswort powder (20 g/kg) resulted in a reduction of approximately 37.30, 23.80, 33.33, and 30.89% in Bulgi, Seolgit, Dogani, and Boseop products, respectively. The present work demonstrates that the glasswort powder represents a potentially natural ingredient to be used as a salt replacer for the production of healthier dry-cured hams with lowered sodium content.