Comparison of the Fate of Nitrite Added to Whole Meat, Meat Fractions and Model Systems

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Abstract
The fate of nitrite in cured meat was investigated. Of added nitrite-N, 66–90% was found as nitrite, nitrate, nitrosothiol, denatured nitrosomyoglobin and gaseous nitrogen compounds, and the remainder of N was unidentified. The amount of unidentified N depended on both the curing period and the amount of added sodium ascorbate (AS). Pork was separated into four fractions : dil. sodium chloride-soluble small-molecular fraction (Fr. 1), dil. sodium chloride-soluble large-molecular fraction (Fr. 2), Weber-Edsall solution-soluble fraction (Fr. 3) and Weber-Edsall solution-insoluble fraction (Fr. 4). Each fraction was cured and the fate of nitrite was examined. In the absence of AS, almost all nitrite-N was detectable, while in its presence, 73~82% of nitrite-N was detectable in both Fr. 1 and Fr. 2, 78–100% in Fr. 3 and 94~100% in Fr. 4. These results suggest that the unidentified nitrite-N in cured meat originated mostly from the reaction between the three meat fractions (Frs. 1, 2 and 3), nitrite and AS.

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