What is the role of nitrite

Basic use:

Nitrite as a meat color protection agent, can react with myoglobin in meat to generate rose-colored nitrosomyoglobin, enhance the color of the meat; can also enhance the flavor of the meat and the role of the preservative, to prevent Clostridium botulinum bacteria and extend the shelf life of the meat products

Source of nitrites:

1, the food as coloring agent and preservative nitrite.

2, converted from nitrates added to food.

3, vegetables, especially from unfresh vegetables.

Introduction of toxicity

It is worth noting that high doses of nitrites can still be very toxic. Accidental ingestion of nitrites can lead to nitrite-based food poisoning, and long-term use can even lead to esophageal and stomach cancer. Moreover, scientists still lack clinical trials to prove that nitrite can treat diseases such as heart disease. Therefore, scientists are actively recruiting volunteers for clinical trials and have begun to search for suitable drug manufacturers responsible for developing nitrite-based drugs.

Nitrite has preservative properties and can be combined with myoglobin in meat to make it more stable, so it is often added to sausages and bacon as a color-preserving agent in the food-processing industry to maintain a good appearance; and secondly, it prevents Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that produces botulism, and improves the safety of consuming meat products. However, if the human body absorbs too much nitrite, it will affect the functioning of red blood cells, causing the blood to be unable to transport oxygen, and the lips and fingertips of the mouth and fingers will turn blue, which is commonly known as "blue-blood disease", and it will seriously cause a lack of oxygen to the brain, or even death. Nitrite itself is not carcinogenic, but under cooking or other conditions, nitrite in meat can react with amino acid degradation to produce nitrosamines, which are highly carcinogenic.

If you consume cured meat products with high nitrate or nitrite content, pickles and spoiled vegetables can cause poisoning, which can lead to death due to respiratory failure.?

Related Knowledge:

Treatment of Nitrite Overconsumption

1, replenish fluids, especially boiled water or other clear liquids;

2, replenish electrolytes lost due to vomiting and diarrhea, such as potassium, sodium and glucose;

3, avoid acidulants;

4. Don't stop the diarrhea first, let the toxins out of the body before consulting a doctor;

5. Don't induce vomiting;

6. Eat a light diet, consume easy-to-digest foods first, and avoid foods that can easily irritate the stomach.

In view of the above reasons, the state of food nitrite residues in the development of strict limit standards, but due to high concentrations of nitrite can not only improve the sensory color of meat products, but also greatly shorten the processing time of meat products, so the phenomenon of excessive nitrite in meat products is more common. Even a small number of unscrupulous operators to sick and dead pork first bleached by hydrogen peroxide immersion, and then add a large number of nitrites, and finally processed to achieve the normal color effect of meat products; and add a large number of nitrites as long as the bacon after a night of smoking can be achieved by the normal smoked over a dozen days of color and hardness, and "extraordinarily bright".

How to make the best use of bacon?

How to reduce your intake of nitrites and nitroso compounds

-Eat more fresh vegetables and meat.

- Store food at low temperatures to minimize protein breakdown and nitrite production.

-No pickled products, sausages, sauerkraut, etc.

-No pickles that have been pickled for about 7 days and fewer pickles that have been pickled for 15 days.

-Seasonings such as pepper and chili peppers are packed separately from salt.

- Expose grains to frequent sunlight to allow nitroso compounds to break down.

-Don't drink leftover steamer water that has been boiled and simmered for a long time.

Foods that can block the synthesis of nitroso compounds:

-Vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C and vitamin E.

- Garlic, tea.

- Vinegar.