Meat curing-quality and safety aspects

People have been familiar with meat curing for a long time, but it was only at the beginninig of the last century when it was discovered which substance was actually responsible for the effects of curing. The salt which was used in the production process, was contaminated with nitrate, However, the process of curing would not be complete without the bacteria which reduce nitrate to nitrite. The latter is able to react with the meat compounds (after further reduction to NO). Nowadays, in most countries curing is restricted to using the mixtures of NaCl and NaNo(2). In some cases nitrate is allowed, but only in the products which are produced in a traditional way, so the process of curing is longer. The reactions occurring in meat after the nitrite addition include characteristic color and flavor formation and the antioxidant effect. However, the most important aspect of using nitrates/nitrites is the meat and meat products’ preservation. Nitrite is able to inhibit the growth of pathogens and it is often mentioned in literature, that thanks to ritrite, the growth and toxin production by Clostridium botulinum can be stopped. In some cases, in the presence of secondary amines and at high temperature nitrite may react creating cancerogenic nitrosoamines. For that reason, it is recommended not to fry, bake or grill cured meats. Moreover, in the production process the reducing substances (e.g. erythorbic acid, ascorbic acid of their salts) should be used in order to decrease the amount of nitrite left in the final product. In many countries there is a strong emphasis to eliminate nitrates and nitrites from the meat processing. The industry follows the consumers demands. Currently, there are many products on the market in which nitrites and nitrates are substituted with some natural curing agents. There is an irrational fear, based mainly on internet knowledge (various blogs and other easy to read articles), that nitrites and nitrates from meat products may be harmful for human beings. Less than 5% of nitrate ingestion comes from meat products. Most of the nitrate intake is associated with vegetable consumption. Many of the health concerns connected with nitrate and nitrite intake with processed meats have not been proved. Epidemiological studies, meta-analyses and other studies were conducted and the associations with certain diseases were low. On the other hand, there are health benefits of nitrate/nitrite intake. The bacteria in human saliva, converting nitrate to nitrite, may serve as the pathogenic microorganism controller in the gastrointestinal track. Blood pressure and many cardiovascular processes are controlled thanks to the circulating nitrate. In some cases, nitrate supplementation is recommended, especially for sportsmen as it increases the exercise capacity. It seems that the society needs education and clear information on the meat curing in order to stop expanding myths and avoid consumers’ fears.

Keywords:

Meat curing , Safety , Quality , Color , Taste