Sausages and Luncheon Meats
Beef, cured, pastrami
Parameters
- Sodium
- 1,080 mg
- Salt, derived
- 2.75 %
- Water
- 69.5 g
- Brine concentration
- 3.80 %
- Moisture-protein ratio
- 3.19 : 1
USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 170204. All values are per 100 g of the food as described. Retrieved 2026-09-04. Source record
How the derived figures were obtained
salt % = sodium mg / 1000 x 2.5420 / 100 x 100
= 1,080 / 1000 x 2.5420 = 2.745 g per 100 g
brine % = 100 x salt / (salt + water) [FSIS-GD-2016-0002]
= 100 x 2.745 / (2.745 + 69.5) = 3.800 %
MPR = water % / protein % = 69.5 / 21.8 = 3.188 : 1Full composition, per 100 g
| Nutrient | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Potassium | 210.0 | mg |
| Protein | 21.8 | g |
| Iron | 2.22 | mg |
| Cholesterol | 68.0 | mg |
| Calcium | 10.0 | mg |
| Total fat | 5.82 | g |
| Water | 69.5 | g |
| Carbohydrate | 0.36 | g |
| Energy | 147.0 | kcal |
| Saturated fat | 2.68 | g |
| Sodium | 1,080.0 | mg |
What these figures do and do not say
The brine concentration above is computed from this food's own sodium and water using the FSIS formula, 100 x salt / (salt + water). It is a description of a finished commercial product, not a target. FSIS cites 10 percent brine after equalisation as the figure that prevents Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin production during warm drying, and 9 CFR 319.106(b)(4) requires not less than 10 percent for a dry cured ham made without nitrate or nitrite.
Water activity cannot be computed from composition. It is a measurement, and it is the measurement that decides shelf stability. The published limits are 0.85 in air and 0.91 vacuum packed, both from FSIS-GD-2014-0010.
Nearby entries
- Beef, cured, dried
- Beef, cured, luncheon meat, jellied
- Beef, dried, chipped, cooked in fat
- Beef, dried, chipped, uncooked
Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2026-09-04.