ABSTRACT

The meat industry is one of the most important industries in the world, and research into new products is continuous, whether as a result of consumer demand or because of the ferocious competition in the industry. However, such research and the launch of new products are directed at providing healthy alternatives to what has frequently been accused of causing a variety of pathologies. This negative image derives mainly from the content of fat, saturated fatty acids, and cholesterol, and their association with cardiovascular diseases, some types of cancer, obesity, etc. (Ovensen 2004, Valsta et al. 2005). Also, intake of sodium chloride, which is added to most meat products during processing, has been linked to hypertension (Ruusunen and Poulanne 2005).