Abstract: In order to reduce the sodium content of traditional Jinhua ham,traditional Jinhua ham was processed with low sodium salt( compared with ordinary salt,the sodium content was reduced by 40% ~ 50%) and ordinary salt,respectively. The effect of the two salts on moisture content,water activity,p H value,sodium and potassium content,proteolysis index,thiobarbituric acid( TBA) value,color and sensory properties during processing was investigated.The results showed that the moisture content of the low sodium batch was 43.86% in the end of aging,and the statistical analysis did not show significant difference( p > 0.05) between the two batches. The salt group had lower p H value than the low sodium group in the end of aging( p < 0.05).The proteolysis index of low sodium group was 14.71% higher than that of the salt group.Statistical analysis showed significant( p < 0.05) differences on TBA value in the end of aging. Moreover,a 52.94% decrease in the sodium content was observed in final low sodium products.The sensory properties did not reveal significant differences( p > 0.05) between the ordinary batch and the low sodium batch.In conclusion,low sodium Jinhua ham possessed traditional flavor and contained lower sodium.