Sodium diffusion in cured pork determined by (22)Na radiology.

A (22)Na-radioisotope method was developed as a non-destructive method for studying NaCl diffusion in meat. Scanning a well-defined cylindrical geometry with diffusion from one end gave reliable sodium diffusion profiles in meat. The diffusion coefficients derived from the profiles amounted to 5-7×10(-10)m(2)/s at 21°C, largely in accordance with the general findings of the literature.