The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the use of Basel, Switzerland-based Jungbunzlauer’s sub4salt in whole-muscle poultry and meat to reduce sodium content of processed meat products. The Food Safety and Inspection Service completed its review of data and had no objection to the product’s suitability and safety in whole-muscle poultry and meat, such as ham, turkey or corned beef.

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Consisting of salt, potassium chloride and sodium gluconate, a 1:1 replacement enables food manufacturers to reduce sodium by 35%, without compromising taste or functionality. Especially in meat products in which sodium reduction often affects water-binding capacity and microbiological spoilage, functionality of salt replacers plays an important role. In the United States, the product has been successfully used in emulsified sausage products, such as bologna, without any adverse effects on shelf-life, texture or taste profile. To make it viable for other meat categories, the company verified the microbial safety using it in bone-in ham, corned beef and turkey. The trials were conducted with a U.S.-based meat company and an independent lab accredited by the U.S.D.A. Now, the product may be used in the United States in emulsified sausages and whole-muscle poultry and meat.