Salt reduction in seafood – A review

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a maximum consumption of 5 g of NaCl per day, but most European populations consume 8–12 g of NaCl. Therefore, a global WHO strategy calls for a 30% reduction of NaCl intake by 2025. Seafood is a natural source of Na, but its content in raw products rarely exceeds 0.1 g per 100 g. However, Na content can increase up to hundred-fold during processing, including salting which is widely used to ensure safety and attractiveness of the seafood. The review describes different strategies aimed at limiting NaCl utilization in fish and shellfish products. In total, 46 studies covering experimental and review papers, book chapters and reports published between 2000 and 2021 were included. The approaches are based on lowering NaCl content during processing, the replacement of NaCl by substitutes such as KCl, MgCl2, CaCl2 and amino acids, the addition of flavour enhancers or their combinations. The results were divided into two categories: salted fish and other processed seafood. Each study was described in relation to the processing methods and parameters analysed which ensure optimal microbiological, physical, chemical and sensory attributes.