1. Water and salt

Water is added to a number of products in the form of brine, stock, ice, etc., to enable their manufacture (cooked ham, emulsions, etc.).

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is the oldest ingredient used in meat processing. In the past, its role as preservative was fundamental, even for non-dried products (preservation of fresh meat drowned in salt). Today, salt's preservative role is limited to cured products (dry-cured hams and sausages), so its essential role is to provide the minimal salty taste demanded by consumers. Current salt doses in cured meats are, approximately, as follows:

• dry sausage: 4.5% ;

• dry-cured ham: 6.5% ;

• cooked charcuterie: 1.8%.

The salty taste...