Sausages and Luncheon Meats

Salami, cooked, beef and pork

Parameters

Sodium: 1,740 mg
Salt, derived: 4.42 %
Water: 45.2 g
Brine concentration: 8.91 %
Moisture-protein ratio: 2.07 : 1

USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 172936. 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
            = 1,740 / 1000 x 2.5420 = 4.423 g per 100 g
brine %     = 100 x salt / (salt + water)     [FSIS-GD-2016-0002]
            = 100 x 4.423 / (4.423 + 45.2) = 8.913 %
MPR         = water % / protein % = 45.2 / 21.8 = 2.073 : 1

Full composition, per 100 g

Nutrient	Value	Unit
Carbohydrate	2.40	g
Energy	336.0	kcal
Iron	1.56	mg
Protein	21.8	g
Cholesterol	89.0	mg
Saturated fat	9.32	g
Total fat	25.9	g
Calcium	15.0	mg
Potassium	316.0	mg
Water	45.2	g
Sodium	1,740.0	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

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2026-09-04.