Sausages and Luncheon Meats

Sausage, summer, pork and beef, sticks, with cheddar cheese

Parameters

Sodium: 1,480 mg
Salt, derived: 3.76 %
Water: 36.2 g
Brine concentration: 9.41 %
Moisture-protein ratio: 1.87 : 1

USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 174599. 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
            = 1,480 / 1000 x 2.5420 = 3.762 g per 100 g
brine %     = 100 x salt / (salt + water)     [FSIS-GD-2016-0002]
            = 100 x 3.762 / (3.762 + 36.2) = 9.414 %
MPR         = water % / protein % = 36.2 / 19.4 = 1.866 : 1

Full composition, per 100 g

Nutrient	Value	Unit
Carbohydrate	1.82	g
Calcium	81.0	mg
Iron	2.26	mg
Sodium	1,480.0	mg
Cholesterol	89.0	mg
Protein	19.4	g
Potassium	206.0	mg
Total fat	37.9	g
Water	36.2	g
Saturated fat	10.5	g
Energy	426.0	kcal

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.