Abstract: In order to lay an experimental foundation for the development of low-salt pork sausages, the effect of reducing salt (NaCl) addition on sausage quality was studied. Pork sausages with different amounts of salt addition, namely 3% (control product), 2.5%, 2.0%, 1.5%, 1.0% and 0.5%, were subjected to the determination of water activity, water-holding activity (WHC) and texture properties as well as sensory evaluation. The results showed that as the salt addition decreased, the water activity of sausages increased, while the WHC, hardness, chewiness and cohesiveness decreased, and an obvious decreasing tendency and a small change in springiness were observed at lower levels of salt addition. With the reduction of salt addition, the color of sausages became lighter, the cross-section became rough, and the salty taste exhibited a decline and was prone to an unacceptable level at a salt addition level of less than 1%. Thus, salt addition plays a vital role in the sensory evaluation, texture and water-holding capacity of sausages.

Key words: pork sausages, salt addition level, sensory evaluation, texture, water-holding capacity (WHC)