ABSENCE OF VOLATILE N-NITROSAMINES IN COOKED NITRITE-FREE CURED MUSCLE FOODS

Nitrite-free cured pork systems were prepared using the preformed cook ed cured-meat pigment (CCMP) and sodium ascorbate. Absence of volatile N-nitrosamines in cooked nitrite-free systems was confirmed using a g as chromatography-thermal energy analyzer (GC-TEA) methodology. Simila r results were obtained when cod, cod surimi or mixtures containing po rk with 15 or 50% cod or cod surimi were used. However, counterpart sa mples cured with sodium nitrite (156 ppm) and sodium ascorbate (550 pp m) produced N-nitrosodimethylamine at 1.0 ppb levels or less. Results demonstrate that nitrite-free curing of meat and meat/fish systems con taining the preformed CCMP is successful in yielding products devoid o f volatile N-nitrosamines.