Fabrication of low-salt salted egg yolks via a chitosan-based wet separation curing system: Physicochemical evolution...

Traditional salted egg yolk (SEY) processing is limited by high sodium content and poor control of mass transfer during curing. In this study, a chitosan-salt wet separation curing system was developed to produce low-salt SEY while regulating structural evolution. Chitosan formed a semipermeable, protein-interacting microenvironment that slowed salt diffusion, moderated dehydration, and suppressed excessive water uptake, reducing salt content by more than 50% while preserving yolk integrity. Structural analyses indicated controlled protein unfolding and reassembly into β-sheet-rich networks, resulting in denser microstructures, reduced lipid release, and a finer sandy texture. Baking produced the most favorable overall product quality among the tested cooking methods. During storage, the chitosan system delayed pH decline, lipid and protein oxidation, and microstructural loosening. These findings demonstrate that chitosan-mediated wet separation curing provides a practical strategy for producing low-salt SEY with improved quality and stability.