TECHNOLOGY OF MEAT PRODUCTS WITH A REDUCED SODIUM NITRITE CONTENT

Abstract

Color is the first organoleptic characteristic that a consumer sees when choosing a product. It has a very powerful quality indicator, especially for meat and meat products. The pigment compounds found in fresh meat that are responsible for the red color are myoglobin, hemoglobin, muscle proteins and blood. As you know, meat and meat products belong to the category of the most valuable food products.

Myoglobin can be oxidized by oxygen, while heme iron is converted to a ferric state with the formation of dark brown metmyoglobin. This reversible reaction occurs only in fresh meat, and the addition of colorants is not allowed to avoid consumer deception and confusion. The salting process of meat involves the use of nitrite and/or nitrate salts to improve the preservation of meat products due to the pronounced inhibitory effect of nitrites on anaerobic bacteria, namely Clostridium botulinum. In addition to acting as an anti-botulinum agent, nitrite is also a strong oxidizing agent and rapidly converts to nitric oxide, which reacts with the Fe3+ and Fe2+ of both myoglobin and metmyoglobin, respectively. It forms thermostable red color complexes, giving cured meats the attractive cherry red color that consumers are used to.