Uses of Nitrates and Nitrites in food
Nitrates and Nitrites in the food industry
Nitrates and Nitrites or more commonly known as curing salt or pink salt, is usually used in foods such as hot dogs, sausages, ham, meat loaf, bacon and other deli meats. Nitrates and nitrites in the food industry are more commonly found in a charcuterie, which is a store that sells cooked meat in direct translation. We use nitrates and nitrites in our foods because they provide a more vibrant colour to red meat, it enhances flavour of the meat and helps to reduce bacterial growth therefore preserving the meat and extending its shelf life, allowing it to last longer, in addition, it helps to break down meats so that seasonings and flavour may be properly …show more content…
The general rule of thumb for curing time of the biggest meat cut is two days per kilo of the meat’s weight.
Regulations and rules. The CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) says that the average person should only eat about 0.1 milligram per kilogram of said person's body weight. Which means about seven mg of pure sodium nitrite for a 70 kilogram person. But people do not eat pure sodium nitrite. Instead, it is mixed into cured meats. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulations limit sodium nitrite to less than 200 ppm (parts per million) in our foods. In short the food industry should aim to make their cured meats under 200 ppm just to stay on the safe side.
Dry Curing
Dry curing involves no liquids, it mainly involves rubbing the curing salts, spices, seasonings and herbs into the meat and storing it in a humidity and temperature controlled environment for weeks for meats such as bacon, Months or even two years in the case of Parma ham. Jamon iberico, Jamon serrano and Parma ham are known as air dried hams. The air dried ham should be stored at temperatures of around two degrees to five degrees Celsius over the course of the six to 24 months to provide the best …show more content…
Due to their soluble and biodegradable properties, Ammonium, sodium, potassium, and calcium salts are the major nitrates used in agriculture worldwide as fertilizers. Their solubility makes it easier for the soil to absorb the nitrates, which in turn helps the plants absorb the contents of the soil easier, providing better crops and more yield for the said crops. Other than agriculture, Nitrates also take a major part in creating explosives such as gun powder, this played a major part during the era of war, when firearms and explosives were in need of development. Sodium Nitrate is used as a catalyst to create a rapid amount of gasses to oxidize the carbon compounds. Minor uses of Nitrates are to release air bubbles from molten glass and ceramics, as well as to harden certain types of metals.
Nitrates and Nitrites in the food industry
Nitrates and Nitrites or more commonly known as curing salt or pink salt, is usually used in foods such as hot dogs, sausages, ham, meat loaf, bacon and other deli meats. Nitrates and nitrites in the food industry are more commonly found in a charcuterie, which is a store that sells cooked meat in direct translation. We use nitrates and nitrites in our foods because they provide a more vibrant colour to red meat, it enhances flavour of the meat and helps to reduce bacterial growth therefore preserving the meat and extending its shelf life, allowing it to last longer, in addition, it helps to break down meats so that seasonings and flavour may be properly …show more content…
The general rule of thumb for curing time of the biggest meat cut is two days per kilo of the meat’s weight.
Regulations and rules. The CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) says that the average person should only eat about 0.1 milligram per kilogram of said person's body weight. Which means about seven mg of pure sodium nitrite for a 70 kilogram person. But people do not eat pure sodium nitrite. Instead, it is mixed into cured meats. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulations limit sodium nitrite to less than 200 ppm (parts per million) in our foods. In short the food industry should aim to make their cured meats under 200 ppm just to stay on the safe side.
Dry Curing
Dry curing involves no liquids, it mainly involves rubbing the curing salts, spices, seasonings and herbs into the meat and storing it in a humidity and temperature controlled environment for weeks for meats such as bacon, Months or even two years in the case of Parma ham. Jamon iberico, Jamon serrano and Parma ham are known as air dried hams. The air dried ham should be stored at temperatures of around two degrees to five degrees Celsius over the course of the six to 24 months to provide the best …show more content…
Due to their soluble and biodegradable properties, Ammonium, sodium, potassium, and calcium salts are the major nitrates used in agriculture worldwide as fertilizers. Their solubility makes it easier for the soil to absorb the nitrates, which in turn helps the plants absorb the contents of the soil easier, providing better crops and more yield for the said crops. Other than agriculture, Nitrates also take a major part in creating explosives such as gun powder, this played a major part during the era of war, when firearms and explosives were in need of development. Sodium Nitrate is used as a catalyst to create a rapid amount of gasses to oxidize the carbon compounds. Minor uses of Nitrates are to release air bubbles from molten glass and ceramics, as well as to harden certain types of metals.