332 Chapter 18
Agency has set voluntary targets for the food
industry aimed at reducing the average salt
intake to 6 g/day from the current level of
about 9 g/day (Matthews and Strong 2005 ).
Meat and meat products currently contribute
about 25% to the total dietary salt intake; this
derives mainly from salt added to meat prod-
ucts (Henderson et al. 2003 ). Cured meats
(bacon and ham) are a signifi cant contributor
to the total because of their high salt content
and their popularity. However, reducing the
salt content in cured meats is diffi cult to
achieve without altering the shelf life. For
example, Applegate (1989) demonstrated
that reducing the salt content from 3% to 2%
in vacuum - packed bacon resulted in unac-
ceptably high levels of Enterobacteriaceae
during the six - week storage period. The
microbial fl ora was dominated by lactic acid
bacteria, which were present at similar levels
of about 10^8 in the low - salt bacon as well as
the 3% - salt bacon. Reducing salt from 3% to
2% also infl uenced the amount and appear-
ance of drip, the color of the product, and
meat pH, as well as fl avor. The study pro-
vides a good example of the multiple proper-
ties that can be affected in products where
salt content is reduced.
Some low - salt bacon is available commer-
cially. This can be achieved by replacing up
to a third of the sodium chloride with potas-
sium chloride, or by incorporating potassium
lactate as a shelf - life extender. Potassium
chloride has similar properties to sodium
chloride in terms of water holding (Hamm
1960 ) and antimicrobial effi cacy (Bidlas and
Lambert 2008 ), but higher replacement levels
are associated with a bitter fl avor (Gou et al.
1996 ). The use of either additive would, of
course, require a declaration in the list of
ingredients.Lower Nitrite Levels
In addition to reducing salt levels, the UK
industry is faced with reducing nitrite levels
in certain types of bacon to comply with newModifi ed Atmosphere Packing
Most retail - packed bacon employs a modi-
fi ed atmosphere having an initial composi-
tion of 70% – 75% nitrogen and 25% – 30%
carbon dioxide. The residual oxygen level
must be less than 1% to ensure a long color
shelf life. Carbon dioxide, employed as a pre-
servative, is highly soluble in meat (Jakobsen
and Bertelsen 2004 ), forming carbonic acid.
The acid is able to pass through bacterial cell
walls into the cell, where it dissociates
and interferes with normal cell metabolism.
Lactic acid bacteria are less susceptible to the
action of carbon dioxide and, therefore, con-
stitute the predominant microfl ora. The other
main gas, nitrogen, is inert and prevents pack
collapse.
Storage Instructions
Once opened, the bacon should be kept
refrigerated and consumed within three or
four days. Although the microbiological
quality cannot be guaranteed beyond about
four days, anecdotal evidence suggests that
some consumers may use bacon for up to a
week after opening. Microbiological deterio-
ration after opening may also be accompa-
nied by color fading, especially on the surface
of slices exposed to oxygen.
Industry Standards
Most bacon producers in the UK are members
of the Charter Quality British Bacon scheme
run by the British Meat Processors Associa-
tion (BMPA). The BMPA standard (BMPA
2006 ), available from the association ’ s
website, lays down various standards and
specifi cations that must be adhered to by the
scheme ’ s members.
Issues Facing the Industry
Low - Salt Bacon
In an effort to reduce the incidence of hyper-
tension in the UK, the Food Standards