Investigation of Salt and Water Diffusion During Dry Salting, Wet Curing, and Ultrasonic Wet Curing

In the meat industry, significant time is required for curing, which is determined by the rate of salt and water migration within the meat. The aim of our research was to determine the diffusion rate of salt and water during different curing processes by measuring salt and water content at different times. The diffusion coefficients were determined in three curing processes: dry salting (traditional process), wet curing (industry standard process), and wet curing combined with active ultrasound (innovative process). Three theoretical models were examined to describe the diffusion in meat. The salt diffusion coefficient of a cylindrical loin meat sample (80 mm × Ø15 mm) treated with dry salting was found to be 4.22 × 10−10 m2/s, which increased by one-third when wet curing was applied and doubled when active ultrasound with an intensity of 14.1474 W/cm2 and a frequency of 19 kHz was added. The water diffusion coefficient was found to be 2.42 × 10−9 m2/s in the case of dry salting, which decreased by 75–80% when wet curing was applied. In wet curing supplemented with ultrasound, water diffusion decreases less than in traditional wet curing. Our research has confirmed that active ultrasound can be used as a part of a combined treatment to accelerate curing.