188 
 

journal homepage: www.fia.usv.ro/fiajournal 
Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering,  

Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania  
Volume XIII, Issue 3 – 2014, pag. 188 – 192 

 

 

THE EFF E CT OF ULT RAS ON IC D UR ING NaC l A ND K C l MEAT B R INING  

*Olga DRĂGHICI1, Alina TOADER1, Daniela Oana ANDRĂŞESCU1 

 
1Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Food Industry and Environmental Protection “Lucian Blaga” University,  

5-7 Ion Raţiu Street, 550012, Sibiu, Romania, e-mail: olga.draghici@ulbsibiu.ro 
*Corresponding author 

Received August 19th 2014, accepted September 24th 2014 
 
Abstract: The main purpose of the paper is the comparative study of the salting process for pork and 
beef, in brine of NaCl and KCl at different concentrations, using ultrasonic treatment in order to 
reduce the time needed salting process (for salting). Ultrasounds accelerates the salting process, due 
to increased mass transfer, through the generation and collapse of microscopic bubbles in a liquid 
medium, but also due to changes in the structure of muscle tissue.The study was conducted on Pork M. 
Longissimus lumborum and on bovine muscle Psoas major. The samples were submerged in brine for 
48 hours, at different concentrations (5%, 10%, 15% NaCl and KCl respectively), and then the salt 
content was determinated. The samples were maintained for 30 minutes in an ultrasonic bath. It was 
noted that the results are higher at ultrasonic treatment, in the case of pork preserved in brine NaCl, 
respectively for beef in KCl solution. The potassium ion produces an enhanced efficacy of salting 
process only at low concentrations of brine. Also ultrasonic treatment acts positively for the diluted 
solutions. Results showed that in general ultrasound accelerates the process of salting meat. 
 
Keywords: NaCl, KCl, salting, meat, ultrasound 
 
1. Introduction 
 
Salting meat is an important step, during 
meat processing. Sodium chloride 
influences the conservation, the flavor and 
texture of meat products. Its effect of 
conservation is mainly due to the water 
activity reduction capacity [1]. Moreover, 
salt affects some chemical or biochemical 
phenomena such as proteolysis, lipolysis, 
or oxidation of lipids that contribute to the 
development of texture and flavor specific 
to meat [2]. A low levels of salt in meat 
products, raises issues in terms of the 
perception of salinity. Also the 
characteristic flavor intensity decreases 
[3].  However, a high consumption of 
sodium chloride is associated with the 
occurrence  of hypertension [1]. This fact 
has promoted the current trend to reduce 
the intake of sodium by partial or total 
replacement of sodium ion, with other ions 
such as potassium, calcium or magnesium 

[4,5,6,7]. Most researchers believe that the 
most effective substituent as potassium 
chloride, although it has some 
disadvantages: in high doses gives the 
product a metallic taste, astringent and 
bitter, but modern methods allow to 
eliminate these inconvenient [8]. 
On the other hand, the salting can be made 
with dried salt or with brine by injecting it 
or by immersion of the pieces of meat in 
the brine. This latter option is rarely used 
due to the long time of salting. To increase 
the mass transfer, can be used ultrasound 
(US) [9, 10]. Ultrasonic waves occur at 
frequencies higher than 20 kHz and can be 
classified according to their frequency into 
three groups as follows: power US at the 
frequencies less than 100 kHz, high 
frequency for frequencies greater than 100 
kHz and less than 1 MHz and diagnostic 
US for frequencies between 1 and 500 
MHz. In salting meat is using frequencies 
from 20 to 100 MHz, this interval being 



Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University – Suceava 
Volume XIII, Issue 3 – 2014 

 

 
O l ga  D R ĂG H IC I ,  Ali n a T O A D ER ,  D anie la  O a na  A N DR ĂŞ E S CU ,  T he  e ff e c t  of  u lt r a s o ni c  d ur i ng  
N aC l a nd  K C l m e a t b r i n i n g,  Fo o d a nd  E nv ir o nm e nt  S a f e t y,  V o l ume X I I I,  I ss ue  3  –  2 01 4 ,  p a g.  18 8 -19 2  

189 
 

specific in cases of concern on physical or 
chemical phenomena [11].  
A sound wave in a liquid medium 
produces a cyclic sequence of compression 
and expansion. During the phase of 
expansion, in the liquid medium occur 
bubbles and due to the lower pressure 
inside them, these bubbles are filled with 
gas and vapour. When the bubbles reach a 
critical size, depending on the wave 
frequency and the pressure inside the 
bubbles is much smaller than the outside, 
occurs a collapse and liquid jets enter into 
the space that was occupied by bubbles. 
For this reason, in the space that was 
occupied by bubbles and in the layer 
closer, it is found an increase in 
temperature and pressure. Subsequently 
the formation and expansion of bubbles is 
resumed. So, we can say that the effect of 
ultrasound is due of generation and 
collapse  processes, of cavitation bubbles, 
which determine the appearance of 
microcurrents [12]. 
Shortening the process of salting meat 
immersed in the presence of ultrasound, 
can be explained in conclusion by these 
mechanisms [13]. Thus, the main objective 
of this work is to provide further 
information on NaCl and KCl migration 
within the meat upon salting with or 
without ultrasonic treatment. 
 
2. Experimental 
 
This study was realized on Pork 
Longissimus lumborum and M. psoas major 
bovine muscle, commercially purchased on 
the day of analysis and maintained at 4°C 
until analysis. Subsequently it was 
partitioned, resulting pieces with identical 
shapes and weights (10 g).  
These were maintained in various 
concentrations of NaCl brine, respectively 
KCl in Tables 1-2. 
Ultrasound treatment was achieved by 
keeping the samples for 30 minutes in an 
ultrasonic bath (Elma 60 H). All samples 

were kept for 48 hours in the 
corresponding solution at a temperature of 
4°C, then were maintained in distilled 
water for 20 seconds [14] and the salt 
content was determinated by the method 
SR ISO 1841:2000 [15].  
 

Table 1 
Preparing pork samples 

 
Samples analyzed 

Sample Pork 10 g /sample 
PP1 +50 ml solution NaCl 5% 
PP2 +50 ml solution NaCl 10% 
PP3 +50 ml solution NaCl 15% 
PP4 +50 ml solution NaCl 5% + US* 
PP5 +50 ml solution NaCl 10% + US 
PP6 +50 ml solution NaCl 15% + US 
PP7 +50 ml solution KCl 5% 
PP8 +50 ml solution KCl 10% 
PP9 +50 ml solution KCl 15% 

PP10 +50 ml solution KCl 5% + US 
PP11 +50 ml solution KCl 10% + US 
PP12 +50 ml solution KCl 15% + US 

* US sonication 
 

Table 2 
Preparing beef samples 

 
Samples analyzed 

Sample Beef 10 g /sample 
PB1 +50 ml solution NaCl 5% 
PB2 +50 ml solution NaCl 10% 
PB3 +50 ml solution NaCl 15% 
PB4 +50 ml solution NaCl 5% + US* 
PB5 +50 ml solution NaCl 10% + US 
PB6 +50 ml soluție NaCl 15% + US 
PB7 +50 ml soluție KCl 5% 
PB8 +50 ml soluție KCl 10% 
PB9 +50 ml soluție KCl 15% 
PB10 +50 ml soluție KCl 5% + US 
PB11 +50 ml soluție KCl 10% + US 
PB12 +50 ml soluție KCl 15% + US 
  * US sonication 
 
In order to compare between them the 
results obtained for NaCl and KCl brine, it 
was preferred the percentage concentration 
of chlorine from meat samples. 
 
 
 



Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University – Suceava 
Volume XIII, Issue 3 – 2014 

 

 
O l ga  D R ĂG H IC I ,  Ali n a T O A D ER ,  D anie la  O a na  A N DR ĂŞ E S CU ,  T he  e ff e c t  of  u lt r a s o ni c  d ur i ng  
N aC l a nd  K C l m e a t b r i n i n g,  Fo o d a nd  E nv ir o nm e nt  S a f e t y,  V o l ume X I I I,  I ss ue  3  –  2 01 4 ,  p ag .  18 8 -19 2  

190 
 

3. Results and Discussion 
 
Figures 1 and 2 shows the concentration of 
chlorine ions in the pork, respectively beef, 
maintained under the conditions indicated 
in Tables 1 and 2.  

It can be seen, both for the pork 
and for beef when brine was obtained with 
NaCl, respectivley with KCl, the 
ultrasound treatment had a beneficial 
effect, favoring the salting. In order to 
highlight the effect of ultrasound treatment 
was done the ratio of chloride ion 
concentrations from the samples meat, held 
in the same type of brine without or with 
ultrasound (Fig. 3, 4). All ratios have 

values higher than one, mostly around 1.5 
and for beef that was in 5% KCl solution, 
this ratio reaches 2.03. It also is found that 
the results are higher for pork, maintained 
in brine of NaCl, respectively in the case 
of beef in KCl solution. Not the least 
(finally) it may be noted that in general, 
the effect of ultrasound treatment is greater 
for dilute solutions. 
These results strengthens the hypothesis 
previously issued namely that ultrasound 
leads to accelerated salting procces, due to 
increased mass transfer in the samples 
analyzed, by the implosion of microscopic 
bubbles due to their propagation [16-18]. 

 

 
 

Figure 1. Variation of concentration in chloride ion for samples PP1-PP12 
pork, maintained in brine for different concentration (5%, 10%, 15%) of 

NaCl, respectively KCl. 

Figure 2. Variation of concentration in chloride ion for samples PB1-PB12 beef, 
maintained in brine  for different concentration (5%, 10%, 15%) of NaCl, 

respectively KCl. 



Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University – Suceava 
Volume XIII, Issue 3 – 2014 

 

 
O l ga  D R ĂG H IC I ,  Ali n a T O A D ER ,  D anie la  O a na  A N DR ĂŞ E S CU ,  T he  e ff e c t  of  u lt r a s o ni c  d ur i ng  
N aC l a nd  K C l m e a t b r i n i n g,  Fo o d a nd  E nv ir o nm e nt  S a f e t y,  V o l ume X I I I,  I ss ue  3  –  2 01 4 ,  p a g.  18 8 -19 2  

191 
 

 
Figure 3. Ratio of the concentration of chloride 
ions from the samples of pork maintained in the 

same type of brine with / without ultrasound. 
 

 
Figure 4. Ratio of the concentration of chloride 
ions from the samples of beef maintained in the 
same type of brine with / without ultrasound. 

 
On the other hand, one possible 
explanation is that at the level of 
ultrastructure and microstructure of muscle 
tissue, during treatment with ultrasonic 
may occur modifications which favoring 
the salting process. Thus, Reynolds et al. 
(1978) identified ruptures in the thick 
fibers and increase in size of endomysum 
[19]. Similar observations were made by 
Vimini et al. (1983) [20]. Subsequently, 
Siró et al. (2009), noted a thickening of 
myosin filaments and ruptures at the level 
of Z line due to treatment with ultrasound, 
thus increasing the space between the 

fibers [17]. These changes at the muscle 
structure due to the effects of ultrasound, 
however are not supported by all 
researchers. McDonnell (2014) by 
histological studies could not identify 
changes in the meat subjected to 
ultrasound treatment in comparison with 
the blank [21]. 
Comparing the effect of Na ions and K on 
the salting process it is found to be 
variable. The ions of K favors salting 
process only at low concentrations. 
In the case of pork preserved in brine 5% 
and subjected to ultrasonic treatment, Cl 
ions concentration values were 1.91% in 
NaCl solution and 2.20% in KCl solution. 
For beef, the highest variation has been 
reported in favor of K for ultrasound 
treatment in 5% concentration, namely 
1.77% in NaCl solution, respectively 
2.66% in KCl solution. 
Barat et al (2014) studying the kinetics of 
the salting process, they have noted that 
the presence of KCl in brine of NaCl, in 
proportion 50%, increases the salting 
speed, and their explanation was that the 
addition of KCl, decreases the pH from 9.9 
to 6.2. The same authors, after some 
mathematical calculations observes that the 
diffusion coefficient is higher for ion of K, 
than for ion of Na, in brine concentration 
15% [22]. 
 
4. Conclusion  
 
In the pork and beef preserved in brine, 
intensifies the procces of salting using 
ultrasound treatment. From the analyses 
performed, result that at low 
concentrations of brine, the effect is more 
intense. Moreover it was evidenced that 
the variation of ions Cl concentration was 
higher for beef in brine of KCl. Pork has a 
higher concentration of chloride ions in 
brine of NaCl. Thus was presented a 
possibility to shorten the time required 
salting process using ultrasonic treatment 
and its effects during brining on meat. 

1,00

1,50

2,00

2,50

P
B

4 
/ P

B
1

P
B

5 
/ P

B
2

P
B

6 
/ P

B
3

PB
10

 / 
P

B
7

PB
11

 / 
P

B
8

PB
12

 / 
P

B
9



Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University – Suceava 
Volume XIII, Issue 3 – 2014 

 

 
O l ga  D R ĂG H IC I ,  Ali n a T O A D ER ,  D anie la  O a na  A N DR ĂŞ E S CU ,  T he  e ff e c t  of  u lt r a s o ni c  d ur i ng  
N aC l a nd  K C l m e a t b r i n i n g,  Fo o d a nd  E nv ir o nm e nt  S a f e t y,  V o l ume X I I I,  I ss ue  3  –  2 01 4 ,  p a g.  18 8 -19 2  

192 
 

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