Nitrite vs. No Nitrite in Meat Curing

In the world of meat preservation, the discussion around nitrites’ use is crucial and controversial. As part of our ongoing exploration of Curesmith – Preserving Tradition, we delve into the implications of using nitrite versus avoiding it in meat curing processes. This article aims to clarify the necessity of nitrites in ensuring the safety and enhancing the flavour of cured meats while also addressing common health concerns linked to their use.

The Role of Nitrites in Meat Curing: Ensuring Safety and Flavor

Curing meat involves various techniques and ingredients to enhance flavour, improve preservation, and ensure safety. Nitrites play a pivotal role in this process, particularly in creating an environment that stifles the growth of harmful bacteria like Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism. This is especially critical in anaerobic (oxygen-free) environments like those created during vacuum packing.

Scientific Perspectives and Community Insights

In various groups, I’m part of and on our platform, Curesmith – Preserving Tradition, discussions often arise about using nitrite versus avoiding it in meat curing.

Just today, I engaged in a debate following a query on our group, Curesmith – Aged and Cured Meats, about case hardening in coppa due to insufficient humidity.

A commonly endorsed solution that proves effective in many such instances involves vacuum-packing the meat and refrigerating it for a second maturation phase, often called equalization. This process allows the moisture to distribute evenly, enhancing flavour and addressing dryness from the initial curing.

I consistently apply this method to improve the taste and texture of my cured products, whether they are dry-cured sausages or whole-muscle cures.

How does this relate to our topic?

I’ve been reflecting on this issue for some time. The complication arises when meat is vacuum-packed, creating an anaerobic environment devoid of oxygen.

Many pathogenic bacteria that remain dormant in oxygen become active in oxygen-free environments. A notable example is Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium responsible for botulism.

The primary defence against these pathogens in cured meats is the addition of nitrite. For dry-cured sausages, vacuum packing poses no issue since nitrite is included to combat these harmful bacteria.

While curing whole-muscle meats, adding nitrite isn’t strictly necessary because pathogenic bacteria cannot deeply penetrate the muscle. These bacteria remain dormant in the oxygenated environment if present on the surface.

Despite this, many curesmiths still add a small amount of nitrite to enhance colour (creating that appealing reddish tinge) and develop flavour.

How much nitrite is necessary?

To combat pathogenic bacteria, 120-200 ppm (parts per million) of nitrite is recommended, though many food agencies find 156 ppm ideal.

However, only 50 ppm is necessary for colour and flavour alone, so less nitrite is used in whole-muscle cures than would be needed for combating pathogens.

Do you see the connection?

In this situation, the group member made coppa without adding nitrite. He plans to vacuum seal it and store it for a long time. This creates a risk: without nitrite, the meat is in an anaerobic environment, which can activate pathogenic bacteria if they are present. This poses a significant risk of contamination.

EQ (Equilibrium) method

This leads us to another topic: the EQ (Equilibrium) method of curing, which has gained popularity among modern curesmiths.

It employs a more scientific approach to salting than the traditional “salt box” method and typically requires the curing process to occur in a vacuum-sealed bag. This method, particularly when curing whole muscle without nitrite, presents concerns due to the anaerobic environment of the vacuum bag.

The advantages of using nitrite have become clear to me, especially since I began incorporating the EQ curing method and a second maturation phase into my processes. Consequently, I now use nitrite in whole-muscle cures.

Back to Nitrite vs no Nitrite

From the discussion, it’s clear that nitrite plays a crucial role in combating pathogenic bacteria in meat curing. However, with growing health consciousness and a shift towards healthier foods, many are now questioning the use of nitrite.

This scepticism has been fueled by the World Health Organization’s classification of nitrite as a potential carcinogen a few years ago.

Because of my stance on nitrite use, I often receive notes and studies arguing against it.

Following my discussion in the Curesmith—Aged and Cured Meat group, the person who initially raised the question responded by expressing his reluctance to use nitrite in his curing process. I had outlined the benefits of using nitrite, which he understood, but he remained concerned because a study from Greece highlighted the risks associated with nitrite in processed meats. The study pointed out nitrite as harmful, reinforcing his decision to avoid using it.

The Case Study – Risk Assessment of Nitrite and Nitrate Intake from Processed Meat Products: Results from the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey (HNNHS)

VIEW THE CASE STUDY HERE

These studies are usually long, so the first thing I do is read the conclusion. That usually gives a quick overview of the findings of the study. In this case, the conclusion opened up with:

“The median nitrite and nitrate intake from processed meat products, estimated as nitrite equivalent, revealed that a significant proportion of Greek consumers were at risk of exceeding the ADI for nitrite from the consumption of processed meat alone, mainly that of processed products from pork and turkey meat consumed as part of mixed dishes (more frequently on toast, sandwiches, and pizza).”

I glanced over the rest of the study and will read it in full, as I find it fascinating. But this is how I responded to the gentleman who sent it to me.

I want to deal with this in 4 quick points:

1. All cured meats are processed, but not all processed meats are cured.

We have to compare apples with apples.

It’s crucial to distinguish between different types of meats referenced in studies like this. In my view, the broad category of processed meats should be divided into two subcategories: Cured Meats and Highly Processed Meats.

Grouping Cured Meats with Highly Processed Meats under the same general category affects how people perceive our work. This broad classification can mislead discussions about these products’ health and processing aspects.

Cured Meat:
Cured meat is treated with salt, nitrates, nitrites, or a combination of these to preserve it, enhance its flavour, and maintain or improve its colour. Examples include bacon, ham, and salami.
Highly Processed Meat:
Processed meat includes any meat transformed through commercial processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation. This category includes processed sausages (eg hot dogs), cooked hams and deli meats that may have additional ingredients and are often more heavily processed.

2. Our bodies are adept at handling nitrite

Nitrite, commonly found in many foods, is naturally converted into nitric oxide in our bodies, which offers several health benefits. Notably, it acts as a vasodilator, relaxing and expanding blood vessels to improve blood flow and reduce blood pressure (amongst other benefits to our health).

This conversion starts when we consume nitrate-rich foods, like leafy greens, which bacteria in our body convert to nitrite and then nitric oxide.

We have already discussed the advantages of using nitrite in meat curing.

This is a fantastic article further explaining the science behind this:

The Role of Ascorbate in the Nitrate-Nitrite-Nitric Oxide Pathway

3. Nitrite as Carcinogens:

Nitrite may become carcinogenic when it reacts with amines to form nitrosamines at temperatures around 130°C. Dry-cured meats, which are not cooked, generally pose little to no risk of forming these compounds. For meats like bacon that are cooked at high temperatures, health concerns arise primarily when the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of nitrite is consistently exceeded; however, even then, the risk is quite limited.

Furthermore, this study cites explicitly:

“mainly processed products from pork and turkey meat consumed as part of mixed dishes (more frequently on toast, sandwiches, and pizza).”

It is clear that what we characterise as cured meat is not included in this description and, therefore, not in this study.

AND, they are further referring mainly to processes where heating occurs (toast/ pizza), which, with the presence of nitrite and heat, can cause nitrosamines.

For a more in-depth analysis of this, you can read these two articles:

4. Moderation

You cannot expect not to get ill if you consume 1kg of bacon every day. The same can be said for water. If you consume +3 litres a day, you can get water intoxication or hyponatremia, a condition where the sodium levels in the blood become dangerously low due to dilution. This can be serious and potentially life-threatening.

Sugar is another prime example. Our bodies have a marvellous organ called the pancreas, which produces insulin to manage glucose (sugar) levels. However, due to excessive sugar consumption in modern times, type-2 diabetes has become a pandemic, particularly in the Western world. Sugar is not bad – it is just the excess use of it that is!

In a world with so many excesses, our decree should be – “practice moderation!”

In closing

There are many arguments against nitrite, but when you consider each, apply some of the abovementioned logic and analyse whether what you have heard or read is comparing apples with apples.

In my opinion, and as the science shows, the pros of using nitrite far outweigh the cons.

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