Is Mortadella Acidic or Alkaline?
Mortadella (prepared) is acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Mortadella comes in at +6.6, in the acid-forming range. This cooked pork sausage supplies protein and phosphorus, which the pork fat in the sausage meat only partly dilutes. That puts it just above Lyoner sausage. Two thin slices totaling 40 g add just under +3. Tomato and arugula on the panino win back part of that.
In the Meat & Sausages category, mortadella (prepared) ranks #5 of 67, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Teewurst (spreadable sausage) (+6.5), Lyoner sausage (+6.0), Bockwurst sausage (+5.5). More acid-forming are Fleischwurst (German bologna) (+6.7), Jagdwurst sausage (+6.7), Frankfurter/Wiener sausage (+6.9).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
What balances mortadella
A serving (125 g) of mortadella adds +8.3 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is mortadella acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Mortadella (prepared) has a PRAL of +6.6 per 100 g, so it counts as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much kale offsets a serving (125 g) of mortadella?
A serving (125 g) of mortadella adds +8.3 to your daily balance. Kale (fresh) has −11.7 per 100 g, so about 70 g of kale offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid mortadella on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Mortadella is acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Mortadella logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Meat & Sausages: Meat & Sausages table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.