Nitrite Curing of Meat : The N-Nitrosamine Problem and Nitrite Alternatives

Pegg (applied microbiology and food science, U. of Saskatchewan) and Shahidi (biochemistry, Memorial U. of Newfoundland) describe the desirable attributes that sodium nitrite confers to meat during processing, as well as the drawbacks of its use. Among those drawbacks are the presence of carcinogenic N -nitroso compounds, particularly N -nitrosamines. The volume begins with an overview of the history of the curing process including the discovery of nitrite as the active agent in the 1890s. Other chapters discuss the color characteristics of meat, the oxidative stability of meat lipids, volatile flavor compounds, the microbial status of cooked meat, and the potential hazards of nitrite usage. The final chapter considers possible substitutes for nitrite. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)