Changes in Sodium, Potassium Content and Physicochemical Properties of Sodium-Reduced Marinated Duck Legs and Brine during Repeated Marination Cycles
JIANG Jingchun, WU Mengzhao, WANG Haibin, WANG Liuqing, PENG Lijuan, LU Hongyan, WANG Qi
1. College of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China; 2. Hubei Key Laboratory for Processing and Transformation of Agricultural Products, Wuhan 430023, China; 3. Institute of Meat Processing and Safety, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
Abstract：This study aimed to investigate the variations in sodium, potassium content, and physicochemical properties of sodium-reduced marinated duck legs and brine across multiple marination cycles. Brine was reused for up to 10 successive cycles. After each cycle, marinated meat was sampled to measure the contents of sodium, potassium, and chloride ions, texture properties, and color, meanwhile brine was collected to analyze the contents of sodium, potassium, and chloride ions as well as capsaicin. The results showed that as the number of marination cycles increased from one to 10, sodium ion contents in marinated meat and brine significantly decreased by 50.21% and 50.59% from 9.30 and 5.89 to 4.63 and 2.91 mg/g, respectively. Potassium and chloride ion contents also declined, the potassium ion content of marinated duck legs decreasing from 1.98 to 1.36 mg/g and the chloride ion content from 1.14 to 0.61 mg/g. The sodium ion content in duck leg meat significantly decreased after the third marination cycle compared to the first marination cycle (P < 0.05), thereby warranting timely replenishment to ensure the consistency of product quality and flavor. Capsaicin was absorbed by duck legs was during the marination process, and after the fifth cycle, its content in brine was undetectable, indicating substantial migration or degradation. The texture properties of marinated duck legs remained stable, and was little affected by marination cycles. The moisture content remained stable throughout the marination cycles, ranging from 64.29% to 65.91%. The lightness value increased, while both the redness and yellowness values decreased with marination cycles. The sensory score for overall acceptability decreased from 7.12 to 3.37 as the number of marination cycles increased. Particularly, the aroma, saltiness, umami, spiciness, and tenderness declined in the later cycles. In conclusion, it is recommended that replenishment of sodium and potassium salts as well as spices be carried out after the third marination cycle and repeated periodically in subsequent cycles to ensure the consistency of the quality and flavor of marinated products across different batches.
蒋景淳，吴孟钊，王海滨，王柳清，彭利娟，路洪艳，王 琦. 循环卤制减钠鸭腿和卤汤中钠钾含量及其理化性质变化[J]. 肉类研究, 2025, 39(8): 34-42.
JIANG Jingchun, WU Mengzhao, WANG Haibin, WANG Liuqing, PENG Lijuan, LU Hongyan, WANG Qi. Changes in Sodium, Potassium Content and Physicochemical Properties of Sodium-Reduced Marinated Duck Legs and Brine during Repeated Marination Cycles. Meat Research, 2025, 39(8): 34-42.
2025, Vol. 39 
