Are you concerned about sodium nitrite in food? We analyze its uses, risks, and regulations. Get informed and make informed decisions!
What is sodium nitrite?
Among the various additives used in meat curing, nitrite salt is particularly significant. Nitrite is an important intermediary in the entire biological cycle of nitrogen present in soil and surface water. It is a versatile chemical with a wide range of uses, including dye production and food preservation.
What is it used for in food?
Nitrites in various meat products are important preservatives and prevent the growth of several unwanted microorganisms. Nitrite is added to cured meat at levels below 150 ppm to prevent the development of microbiological organisms such as Clostridium botulinum, which causes food poisoning.
The main reasons for using nitrite as a preservative in meat are:
To inhibit Clostridium botulinum from spreading and secreting toxins that cause foodborne toxicity.
To provide the bright red color needed in meat products such as sausages, ham, salami, etc.
To give cured meats their characteristic texture and aroma.
It also inhibits lipid oxidation in meat products and therefore prevents rancidity (off-flavor).
Function of Nitrite in Sausages
- Development of Cured Color: Meat color is highly variable and influenced by several factors. When nitrite is introduced into meat, it is converted into nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide combines with the iron in myoglobin and metmyoglobin to produce a cured pink color in the meat.
- Development of Cured Flavor: Nitrite’s antioxidant activity against lipid oxidation is one of the methods that could alter the flavor of meat products by suppressing the “heated-over” flavor. Aldehydes such as pentanal, hexanal, etc., are suppressed in cured meat when lipid oxidation is inhibited by nitrite.
- Antioxidant Properties Against Lipid and Protein Oxidation: Nitrite can prevent rancidity during storage and the formation of “heated-over” flavors. The oxidation process affects the lipids, proteins, and pigments in meat, causing changes in color, flavor, texture, and nutritional value. During cold storage, lipid oxidation produces off-flavors that are typically characterized as rancid and enhances food discoloration. Nitrite acts as an antioxidant by protecting the lipid molecules in meat from oxidation.
- Antimicrobial effect: Nitrite is highly effective as a bacteriostatic and bactericidal agent, inhibiting or regulating the growth of bacteria to varying degrees in meat products. Nitrite has been shown to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum.
Sodium Nitrite Risks: What Does the Science Say?
Despite all the benefits of sodium nitrite, its use in meat has been a source of contention. Due to nitrite’s high chemical reactivity, it can combine with a variety of components in meat systems.
The heat used during the heat treatment of cured meat products increases its reactivity. In particular, nitrite ions are highly reactive when the pH is below 7.
They can react with a variety of meat components, including amino acids, sulfhydryl ions, amines, phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, and myoglobin. Nitrite can play a role as a nitrosating agent and form various nitrosating compounds.
Other nitrosating agents include nitrous acid and nitric oxide, which are also derived from nitrite.
Nitrous acid is involved in the processes that result in the formation of endogenous N-nitroso compounds (NOCs). NO, on the other hand, can be a generator of nitrates and nitrites, which circulate in the human body.
In general, N-nitrosated compounds are classified into six types: nonvolatile N-nitrosamines, volatile N-nitrosamines, N-nitrosated heterocyclic carboxylic acids, N-nitrosamides, Amadori compounds, and N-nitrosated glycosylamines.
Nitrosamines: How are they formed and why are they a concern?
Because sodium nitrite may be a precursor to nitrosamines, its use in meat curing has raised public concerns. Currently, the amount of nitrite added and the production of N-nitrosamines are considered to have a positive relationship, but the relationship is not linear.
Most N-nitrosamines are organ-specific, meaning that only certain types cause cancer in certain organs.
Furthermore, they also exhibit teratogenic effects. There are approximately 300 varieties of nitrosamines, and almost all of them (97%) have been shown to be teratogenic in experimental animals.
Amines, in the form of free amino acids (proline, hydroxyproline), creatinine, and creatine, are present in very low concentrations in organic meat products.
Although the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture allow the use of these additives, multiple studies link excessive consumption of sodium nitrite and nitrate with cancer, increased risks of neurological diseases, and heart disease.
Sodium Nitrite: Available Alternatives
It is possible that a substitute for nitrite could be found and new products developed, but it is questionable whether this would be sufficient to entice people to buy them.
Consumers prefer meat products that contain lower levels of nitrite, and the decision to purchase new meat products depends on the function of the nitrite, the reasons for its use, and the outcome.
Therefore, a successful reduction of nitrite in meat products, along with the addition of various alternatives, would provide a variety of benefits for consumers, including a reduction in carcinogens.
Plant extracts
Nitrate is abundant in green leafy vegetables. Vegetables such as celery, lettuce, watercress, spinach, arugula, etc., have been found to contain more than 2,500 mg of nitrate/kg. Since nitrate can be reduced to nitrite by various microorganisms, these vegetables can be used as a partial or complete alternative to chemical nitrite in meat curing.
Organic acids and salts
In the meat industry, organic acids are used to prevent microbial growth, lower the pH of meat products, and increase the curing performance of processed meats. The use of organic acids to cure meat improves the color development process while inhibiting microbiological growth.
Lactate, sorbate, acetate, and benzoate are some important organic acids that have been widely used as food additives for many years. The rationale for using organic acids is that they have the potential to reduce pH to a level that prevents bacterial growth.
High hydrostatic pressure
High-pressure treatment (100–800 MPa) is widely used on meat products at moderate temperatures (less than 45°C) as an antimicrobial process to extend the shelf life of that product. High-pressure treatment increases the shelf life of meat products by reducing the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. The use of high-pressure treatment also aids in enzyme inactivation for a longer period without the use of synthetic additives.
Further research is needed to find a single, cost-effective alternative to sodium nitrite in food.
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