Kr. Seraphim et Mepb. De Siqueira, Nitrate and nitrite in homemade and industrialized cheeses commercialized in the Southern region of Minas Gerais, Brazil., ARCH LAT NU, 50(1), 2000, pp. 87-90
The evaluation of nitrate and nitrite in homemade and industrialized cheese
s commercialized in the southern region of Minas Gerais State, was the aim
of this work. In Brazil, the use of these additives is permitted at maximum
levels of 50 mg/kg. The basis of the previously validated method is the qu
antitative reduction of nitrate to nitrite through cadmium column and spect
rophotometric determination after nitrite diazotation with sulphanilic acid
/alpha-naphtol reagent. From all samples analyzed, 38 (88,37%) showed neith
er a nitrate nor nitrite detectable content; 5 samples (11,63%) presented n
itrate, 4 of them being above the tolerated level and only one (2,33%) show
ed detectable nitrite, however below the permissible limit. The majority of
samples did not show nitrate or nitrite at detectable levels. However, tho
ugh probably safe from a toxicological point of view, the results can impli
cate an increased risk of bacteriological contamination.