Lactic-fermented tomato ingredient as a multifunctional strategy to improve microbial stability and sensory...

Sodium reduction in meat products poses significant technological, sensory, and microbiological challenges. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a lactic-fermented tomato ingredient (LFT) as a multifunctional strategy to mitigate the drawbacks of sodium reduction in pork burgers formulated with partial NaCl replacement by KCl. Burgers were assessed for cooking properties, instrumental color and texture, sensory attributes, lipid oxidation, and microbial stability during refrigerated storage. Sodium reduction decreased hardness, gumminess, and cooking yield, whereas partial replacement with KCl partially restored textural properties but introduced bitterness-related sensory deviations. The incorporation of LFT enhanced perceived saltiness under reduced‑sodium conditions, attenuated the sensory association with bitterness in KCl-containing formulations, and improved redness perception immediately after processing. During storage, all formulations showed progressive lipid oxidation; however, LFT-containing burgers exhibited up to 10% reduction in TBARS values at peak oxidation stages and reduced sensory perception of oxidation-related defects. LFT consistently reduced and slowed mesophilic aerobic growth by approximately 1.5-2 log units throughout storage, regardless of the salt strategy, without affecting lactic acid bacteria populations. Overall, the combined use of KCl and LFT represents a viable strategy for producing reduced‑sodium meat products by simultaneously mitigating key technological, sensory, and microbiological limitations associated with sodium reduction.