LOW-SALT BEEF BURGUERS: EFFECTS ON SENSORY AND TEXTURE PROPERTIES

Excessive sodium intake is related to the development of cardiovascular and renal diseases, which has increased the demand for low-sodium meat products. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of salt reduction on the sensory and texture properties of beef burger. A control formulation was performed with the salt content commonly used by industry (1.90%) and from this concentration salt reductions of 17.5% (1.57% salt), 35% (1.24% salt), 52.5% (0.9% salt) and 70% (0.57% salt) were performed. Burgers were analyzed for instrumental texture (Texture Profile Analysis - TPA and Shear Force) and sensory properties. One hundred and twenty-two consumers evaluated the overall liking (9-point structured hedonic scale), salty taste intensity (9-point structured scale) and sensory profile (Pivot profile) of beef burgers. According to TPA, low-salt burgers, except for the formulation with 0.9% salt, were not affected in terms of hardness, cohesiveness and chewiness, but they showed a decrease in springiness. Regarding the shear force, only the formulation with 17.5% salt reduction was harder than the control. In the sensory analysis, a high and positive correlation between salty taste intensity and overall liking was found, i.e., as the perception of salty taste intensity decreases, liking also decreases. Nevertheless, no sensory rejection was found in low-salt burgers. Pivot profile results showed that treatments with high salt reduction (52.5% and 70%) were similar and characterized as dry, fibrous and hard. Beef burgers with 17.5% salt reduction had the most similar sensory profile to the Pivot (control), and these samples were the most correlated with the salty attribute. Even after reducing salt content by 35%, burgers were strongly associated with the attributes tasty and juicy. This study showed that it is feasible to reduce the salt content commonly used in beef burgers, without significantly affecting their texture, liking and sensory properties.