Microbiological safety of processed meat products formulated with low nitrite concentration — A review

Nitrite plays a major role in inhibiting the growth of foodborne pathogens, including Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) that causes botulism, a life-threatening disease. Nitrite serves as a color-fixing agent in processed meat products. However, N-nitroso compounds can be produced from nitrite, w...

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Published inAnimal bioscience Vol. 31; no. 8; pp. 1073 - 1077
Main Authors Lee, Soomin, Lee, Heeyoung, Kim, Sejeong, Lee, Jeeyeon, Ha, Jimyeong, Choi, Yukyung, Oh, Hyemin, Choi, Kyoung-Hee, Yoon, Yohan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Korea (South) Asian - Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies 01.08.2018
Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies (AAAP) and Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology (KSAST)
Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies
아세아·태평양축산학회
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ISSN1011-2367
2765-0189
1976-5517
2765-0235
DOI10.5713/ajas.17.0675

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Summary:Nitrite plays a major role in inhibiting the growth of foodborne pathogens, including Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) that causes botulism, a life-threatening disease. Nitrite serves as a color-fixing agent in processed meat products. However, N-nitroso compounds can be produced from nitrite, which are considered as carcinogens. Thus, consumers desire processed meat products that contain lower concentrations (below conventional concentrations of products) of nitrite or no nitrite at all, although the portion of nitrite intake by processed meat consumption in total nitrite intake is very low. However, lower nitrite levels might expose consumers to risk of botulism poisoning due to C. botulinum or illness caused by other foodborne pathogens. Hence, lower nitrite concentrations in combination with other factors such as low pH, high sodium chloride level, and others have been recommended to decrease the risk of food poisoning. In addition, natural compounds that can inhibit bacterial growth and function as color-fixing agents have been developed to replace nitrite in processed meat products. However, their antibotulinal effects have not been fully clarified. Therefore, to have processed meat products with lower nitrite concentrations, low pH, high sodium chloride concentration, and others should also be applied together. Before using natural compounds as replacement of nitrite, their antibotulinal activities should be examined.
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ISSN:1011-2367
2765-0189
1976-5517
2765-0235
DOI:10.5713/ajas.17.0675