NITRITE CURING OF MEAT The N-Nitrosamine Problem and Nitrite Alternatives pdf

NITRITE CURING OF MEAT The N-Nitrosamine Problem and Nitrite Alternatives RONALD B. PEGG, Ph.D. Saskatchewan Food Product Innovation Program Department of Applied Microbiology and Food Science University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A8 Canada and FEREIDOON SHAHIDI, Ph.D. FACS, FCIC, FCIFST, FRSC University Research Professor Department of Biochemistry Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's, NF, A1B 3x9 Canada FOOD & NUTRITION PRESS, INC. TRUMBULL, CONNEXTICUT 06611 USA [...]... respectively, on 4 NITRITE CURING OF MEAT the outer surface of the netted hams (Fiddler et al 1997) Therefore, caution must be exercised to avoid accidental formation of N-nitrosamines in products Benefits and Drawbacks of Nitrite: New Trends and Prospects In response to the nitrite- nitrosamine problem, the industry reduced the level of nitrite used in preparation of a variety of products The current trends,... production of low -nitrite, low-fat, low- salt, and all -meat products In addition, all -meat emulsion-type products are being introduced into the market Although the N-nitrosamine scare has died down, nonetheless, nitrite- free curing of meat might still be attractive in view of the fact that many of the effects of nitrite can be easily duplicated by the presence of adjuncts, together with refrigeration The. .. different effects on the rate of production and level of these carcinogens in products The interest in studying the formation and occurrence of N-nitrosa- 3 INTRODUCTION mines in cured meats and other foods stems from the absolute nature of the U.S Food and Drug Regulations and other regulatory agencies in Canada and Europe which prohibit the use of any food additive, that is either in itself carcinogenic... nitrate and/ or nitrite to solid cuts of meat such as ham The curing agents are rubbed in dry form over the surface of pieces of meat The meat is then placed in a cooler at 2-4°C and permitted to cure No water is added; hence, the curing agents are solubilized in the original moisture present in the muscle tissue With time, slow penetration of the cure into the meat (cu 2.5 c d w e e k ) and micrococcal... Nitrates, nitrites and N-nitroso compounds: a review of the occurrence in food and diet and the toxicological implications Food Addit Contarn I , 717-768 CHAPTER 2 HISTORY OF THE CURING PROCESS The preservation of meat by way of curing is based in part upon the art as practiced through eons of time and perhaps to a far greater extent upon sound scientific principles developed since the turn of the century... pieces of meat and encourage their cohesion During cooking, the protein matrix denatures and coagulates It has been proposed that juiciness results from the coagulation of the salt-soluble proteins which in turn entrap moisture within particles of meat Other researchers have suggested that the myofibrillar proteins immobilize the water 10 NITRITE CURING OF MEAT and reduce evaporation during thermal... attributes that nitrite imparts to meat, and ramifications and possible alternatives to its usage are discussed in the remaining chapters of this book REFERENCES Binkerd, E.F and Kolari, O.E 1975 The history and use of nitrate and nitrite in the curing of meat Food Cosmet Toxicol 13, 655-661 Doran, G.F 1917 Art of curing meats U.S Patent 1,212,614 Flores, J , Biron, C., Izquierdo, L and Nieto, P 1988... Spices and other flavorings were added to achieve a distinctive brand flavor Toward the end of the nineteenth century, significant changes in meat curing had occurred Various methods of curing, namely dry, wet or pickle cures and combinations of the two, were commonplace Dry curing is the oldest technique and involves applying uniform and quantitated mixtures of salt, sugar, spices and sodium nitrate and/ or... to the preservation of meat For example, certain spices and herbs possess antioxidant properties and thereby reduce the rate of oxidative rancidity development (Nakatani 1997).A list of some of the common spices used in meat products, their origin, and some typical examples of their use in processed meats are presented in Table 2.2 (Hedrick er al 1994) Of all the aforementioned additives to cured meats,... color and special flavor in meat It was nitrate impurities in the rock salt, which upon incorporation into the meat matrix and after reduction to nitrite by the postmortem reducing activity of the muscle tissue, that were truly responsible for the curing effect 8 NITRITE CURING OF MEAT By medieval times, treating meat with salt, saltpeter and smoke was commonplace, and saltpeter’s effect to “fix” the . alt="" NITRITE CURING OF MEAT The N-Nitrosamine Problem and Nitrite Alternatives F N~ PUBLICATIONS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION Books NITRITE CURING. a review of the history of the curing process. Issues on how curing began, techniques used then and today, and the discovery of nitrite as the active