The effect of partial replacement of NaCl (50%) with KCl in the presence of sodium tripoliphosphate (STPP) on the cooking loss (CL), water holding capacity (WHC), rheological and textural properties of salt soluble myofibrillar protein (SSMP) gels was investigated. KCl substitution, either alone or in combination with STPP, was found worse than NaCl alone in terms of elasticity of the gels (G'). Both KCl and STPP reduced the CL of the gels. While the gels with replacement of NaCl with KCl had lower (P<0.05) WHC, addition of STPP to this gels gave rise to similar (P>0.05) WHC to only NaCl added gels. Substitution of NaCl with KCl resulted in a decrease in hardness of gels whereas STPP addition improved the hardness. Results obtained from the present study suggest that substitution 50% of NaCl with KCl in presence of STPP would be a sound salt reduction alternative in meat systems. Practical ApplicationsSalt is one of the most crucial ingredients affecting meat products functionality.However, recent research has focused on reducing salt in meat products due to its association with some health problems such as hypertension. Reducing sodium chloride (NaCl) decreases extractability of salt soluble myofibrillar proteins (SSMP), thus, negatively affects functional properties of the meat systems. One of the approaches in reducing salt is to replace NaCl with other chloride salts, the most common of which is potassium chloride (KCl). This study focused on determining the effect of partially substituting of NaCl with KCl in the presence of sodium tri-polyphosphate (STPP) on some functional characteristics of meat SSMP gels. Results indicated that 50% NaCl reduction using KCl and STPP could be achieved with an improvement of textural and functional properties in meat gels. Future research should focus on combined effects of salt substitutes on the rheological and textural characteristics of meat gel systems.

The effects of chitosan edible coating (CH) and oxygen scavenger (OS) in combination with modified atmosphere packaging (70% CO2/30% N2) on microbiological and color stability of sliced sucuk were investigated during refrigerated storage for three months. Two groups of sucuk slices were coated with chitosan and packaged under modified atmosphere without OS (CH) or with OS (CH‐OS); the other two control groups were not coated, but packaged under modified atmosphere without (C) or with OS (C‐OS). The antimicrobial effect of CH was more pronounced than OS in general. CH with or without OS reduced the total aerobic mesophilic and total aerobic psychrophilic bacteria by 2–3 log cfu/g from the initial count, and counts of Staphylococcus spp. by approximately 1.5–2 log units during storage (p < .05). At the end of storage, the CH group had the lowest L* value, while OS inclusion with CH resulted in higher a* and lower b* values than the control (p < .05), indicating that active packaging using OS with CH enhanced color stability. The results from this study demonstrate that CH is useful in reducing bacterial counts of sliced sucuk, while OS contributed more to color stability. Practical applications Active packaging of meat products has become increasingly popular in the industry to maintain product characteristics for longer periods of storage. In this study, the combined effect of edible antimicrobial chitosan coating and iron based oxygen scavengers on microbiological and color stability of modified atmosphere packaged sliced sucuk was evaluated during refrigerated storage. Greater microbiological stability was observed with chitosan coating application, whereas incorporation of oxygen scavengers into the package gave rise to better color stability. Therefore, combined use of oxygen scavengers with chitosan edible coating could be a promising approach, particularly for reducing microbial growth and maintaining color of sucuk slices during refrigerated storage.