Nitrite and nitrate in meat processing: Functions and alternatives

Abstract

Meat and meat products are important foods in the human diet, but there are concerns about their quality and safety. The discovery of carcinogenic and genotoxic N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) in processed meat products has had serious negative impacts on the meat industry. In order to clarify the relationship between the use of nitrite or nitrate and the safety of meat or meat products, we reviewed NOCs in meat and meat products, the origin and safety implications of NOCs, effects of nitrite and nitrate on meat quality, national regulations, recent publications concerning the using of nitrite and nitrate in meat or meat products, and reduction methods. By comparing and analyzing references, (1) we found antioxidant, flavor improvement and shelf-life extension effects were recently proposed fun