Nitrate and nitrite are used as food additives in processed foods, as preservatives, antimicrobial agents and as a color retention agent.
Addition of nitrite or nitrate improves the microbiological safety of the foods and extends their safe shelf life.
Nitrites and /or nitrates are food additives when combining in curing premixes with spices and/or other flavoring or seasoning ingredients that contain or constitute a source of secondary or tertiary amines, including but not limited to essential oils, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, hydrolysates of animal or plant origin, oleoresin of spices, soy products and spice extractives.
Nitrite gives cured meat its characteristic color and flavor and is important in the control of bacteria, particularly Clostridium botulinum.
It is generally accepted that approximately 40 fg/g nitrite is sufficient to attain and maintain a stable cure color, but considerably more nitrite has been regarded as necessary to inhibit growth of Clostridium botulinum, that amount being dependent on a combination of factors including the salt level, initial pH of the product, temperature of the presence of the chemical.
Although the sue of nitrate and nitrite may improve the microbiological safety of meat, the use of nitrite to cure meat was also seriously questioned in the 1970s due to the potential for the presence of preformed N-nitrosamines, which may have a carcinogenic potential.
Nitrates and nitrites as food additive
