Sustainable strategies for sodium reduction in biltong by improving healthiness without impairing safety
Biltong is a popular South African savoury meat snack, which is preserved by drying and adding vinegar and salt to inhibit microbial growth. It is stable at room temperature and can be considered a safe and sustainable local food system. Unfortunately, biltong has exceptionally high sodium (Na) lev...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Academy of Science of South Africa
2025-08-01
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| Series: | South African Journal of Science |
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| Online Access: | https://sajs.co.za/article/view/18999 |
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| author | Rita Opperman Barbara E. van Wyngaard MacDonald Cluff Carina Bothma Eileen Roodt Celia Hugo Arno Hugo |
| author_facet | Rita Opperman Barbara E. van Wyngaard MacDonald Cluff Carina Bothma Eileen Roodt Celia Hugo Arno Hugo |
| author_sort | Rita Opperman |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Biltong is a popular South African savoury meat snack, which is preserved by drying and adding vinegar and salt to inhibit microbial growth. It is stable at room temperature and can be considered a safe and sustainable local food system. Unfortunately, biltong has exceptionally high sodium (Na) levels, and there are currently no regulations regarding the Na content of biltong. Therefore, research needs to be conducted to determine the effect of Na reduction or replacement on South African biltong’s shelf life and chemical and sensory properties. In this study, sodium chloride (NaCl) inclusion levels in biltong models were altered to contain normal or 50% reduced NaCl in combination with various salt replacers – potassium chloride (KCl), organic potassium (K) salts and K-lactate – in different treatments. The treatments with the various levels of Na and replacers were evaluated against the positive control, the normal added NaCl levels and the negative control, which contained 50% of the normal NaCl levels. We found that a 50% reduction in NaCl was possible, and there were no serious adverse effects on the product’s chemical, sensory or microbial qualities. The treatments, which contained KCl, organic K salts and K-lactate as replacers, were successful at maintaining the sensory properties of biltong in comparison to the positive control. Overall, the treatment that contained the organic K salts, in conjunction with the K-lactate, was the most effective in inhibiting the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and lactic acid bacteria.
Significance:
Biltong has a very high salt content, but it is essential to ensure that this traditional South African delicacy keeps up and adheres to modern consumers’ health and nutritional demands. Our findings indicate that a 50% reduction in salt is possible without adverse effects on biltong’s chemical, microbial or sensory quality. These results also enable workers in the spice industry to reformulate spice packs with reduced salt, resulting in a sustainable, healthier product.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ee752ad5af144f18a04c23547bf54a0b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1996-7489 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Academy of Science of South Africa |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Journal of Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-ee752ad5af144f18a04c23547bf54a0b2025-08-20T03:03:12ZengAcademy of Science of South AfricaSouth African Journal of Science1996-74892025-08-011217/810.17159/sajs.2025/18999Sustainable strategies for sodium reduction in biltong by improving healthiness without impairing safetyRita Opperman0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9139-2833Barbara E. van Wyngaard1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2283-401XMacDonald Cluff2https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3492-0224Carina Bothma3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2646-1713Eileen Roodt4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4230-3398Celia Hugo5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8816-4186Arno Hugo6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9199-6605Department of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaDepartment of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaB.T. Enterprises, Johannesburg, South AfricaDepartment of Food Systems and Development, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaDepartment of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaDepartment of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaDepartment of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa Biltong is a popular South African savoury meat snack, which is preserved by drying and adding vinegar and salt to inhibit microbial growth. It is stable at room temperature and can be considered a safe and sustainable local food system. Unfortunately, biltong has exceptionally high sodium (Na) levels, and there are currently no regulations regarding the Na content of biltong. Therefore, research needs to be conducted to determine the effect of Na reduction or replacement on South African biltong’s shelf life and chemical and sensory properties. In this study, sodium chloride (NaCl) inclusion levels in biltong models were altered to contain normal or 50% reduced NaCl in combination with various salt replacers – potassium chloride (KCl), organic potassium (K) salts and K-lactate – in different treatments. The treatments with the various levels of Na and replacers were evaluated against the positive control, the normal added NaCl levels and the negative control, which contained 50% of the normal NaCl levels. We found that a 50% reduction in NaCl was possible, and there were no serious adverse effects on the product’s chemical, sensory or microbial qualities. The treatments, which contained KCl, organic K salts and K-lactate as replacers, were successful at maintaining the sensory properties of biltong in comparison to the positive control. Overall, the treatment that contained the organic K salts, in conjunction with the K-lactate, was the most effective in inhibiting the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and lactic acid bacteria. Significance: Biltong has a very high salt content, but it is essential to ensure that this traditional South African delicacy keeps up and adheres to modern consumers’ health and nutritional demands. Our findings indicate that a 50% reduction in salt is possible without adverse effects on biltong’s chemical, microbial or sensory quality. These results also enable workers in the spice industry to reformulate spice packs with reduced salt, resulting in a sustainable, healthier product. https://sajs.co.za/article/view/18999biltongsodium reductionsodium replacementtechnological stabilitymicrobial shelf life |
| spellingShingle | Rita Opperman Barbara E. van Wyngaard MacDonald Cluff Carina Bothma Eileen Roodt Celia Hugo Arno Hugo Sustainable strategies for sodium reduction in biltong by improving healthiness without impairing safety South African Journal of Science biltong sodium reduction sodium replacement technological stability microbial shelf life |
| title | Sustainable strategies for sodium reduction in biltong by improving healthiness without impairing safety |
| title_full | Sustainable strategies for sodium reduction in biltong by improving healthiness without impairing safety |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable strategies for sodium reduction in biltong by improving healthiness without impairing safety |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable strategies for sodium reduction in biltong by improving healthiness without impairing safety |
| title_short | Sustainable strategies for sodium reduction in biltong by improving healthiness without impairing safety |
| title_sort | sustainable strategies for sodium reduction in biltong by improving healthiness without impairing safety |
| topic | biltong sodium reduction sodium replacement technological stability microbial shelf life |
| url | https://sajs.co.za/article/view/18999 |
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