The replacement of conventional meat curing with nitrite-free curing systems

Cured meats products are consumed by a large segment of the German popluati on. Addition of sodium nitrite to meat preserves its color, imparts a desir able flavor and retards microbial growth in the finished product. Yet, nitr ite is che culprit leading to the formation of N-nitrosamines in certain cu red products. This class of compound has been shown to be carcinogenic in e xperimental animals and as such are also potential human carcinogens. This paper offers an overview of nitrite-free meat curing systems developed in C anada that may be used at an industrial level. The exact nitrite-free curin g system employed is tailor-designed to the specific product being formulat ed. However, most systems utilize the natural cooked cured-meat pigment (CC MP), an antoxidant, a sequestrant and an antimicrobial agent to reproduce t he effects bestowed by nitrite to meat products. The color, oxidative stabi lity and flavor of formulated products were similar to those of their nitri te-cured counterparts. Unlike traditionally cured meats, however, no carcin genic N-nitrosamines were detected in nitrite-free thermally processed prod ucts.