AI VM Gorbatov RAS, Assistant Director of Research at FNTs of Food Systems, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Anastasia Semenova.
“Sodium nitrite provides taste, aroma, microbiological protection and protection against toxin formation in the production of meat products. The meat industry does not know about food poisoning due to sodium nitrite alone. It also gives ham, sausages, sausages a pink color, ”explained Semenova.
According to the scientist, from the point of view of chemistry, sodium nitrite is a salt of nitrous acid, which in its pure form is a toxic substance. For this reason, it is used in the meat industry in combination with ordinary cooking salt. This mixture is called nitrite salt or curing mixture.
“When a person buys a sausage or a delicacy, nitrite is no longer there, as it interacts with proteins and gives the product new organoleptic properties. The ham remains pink in color and aroma. But when salted with ordinary salt, the meat product will be gray and have a characteristic smell of boiled meat. A large number of meat products are produced without nitrites – all of them are semi-finished products, meatballs, meatballs, fried sausages, patties, liver sausages, etc. Where there is gray, there is no nitrite, ”said Semenova.
According to him, scientists have studied more than 700 different substances, including yellow salt with a mixture of iron and various trace elements, but so far sodium nitrite remains indispensable.
Read more about how to reduce salt intake, why iodized salt is bad, and also about the most “suspicious” salt on the shelves – in report “socialbites.ca”.