Substitution of Potassium Chloride for Sodium Chloride in Commercially-Produced Dry-Cured Hams

Substitution of sodium chloride (NaCl) with a 50/50 mixture of potassium chloride (KCl) and NaCl (Lite Salt^™) in the curing mixture of country hams was tested at four federally inspected dry-cured ham plants in North Carolina to establish the feasibility of commercial production of "reduced-sodium" country hams. Lite Salt^™ -treated hams had significantly less sodium (P <0.001), with no significant change in total salt content (P >0.05). Hams from one plant that did not stack hams during the curing process had a lower salt content than the hams from the other plants that stacked hams three to six high during curing. Salt content of the non-stacked hams was higher when the KCl/NaCl curing mixture was used than when the control NaCl mixture was used. Increasing the curing time also increased the final salt concentration. Finished hams cured with 50% KCl applied at 70 g/kg and stacked during the curing phase had more than 30% reduction in sodium, sufficient to label the product as reduced-sodium.