Manufacture of Meat Products without Added Nitrite or Nitrate – Quality and Safety Aspects

There is increasing interest in meat products processed with less or no additives. This applies particularly to ‘organic’ meat products. The use of nitrite in the processing of organic meats has been discussed controversially for many years. It is a synthetic chemical with toxicological concern but because of its effect on appearance and flavour of meat products, marketing of nitrite-free sausages and hams proved to be difficult. Moreover, nitrite contributes to the safety and shelf life of several meat products. However, this (antimicrobial) effect of nitrite strongly depends on the type of product and may be compensated, in most products, by adapting the processing conditions (e.g. by lowering the ripening temperatures for raw sausages; increasing the F0 values for shelf-stable cooked sausages). The inhibitory effect of nitrite on oxidative deterioration of fats may be – within limits compensated for by selection of the raw material and by limiting the access of oxygen. In dry sausages and raw hams with long aging times, an acceptable red colour which has been shown to consist of zinc protoporphyrin IX (“Parma Ham Pigment”) is obtained without curing agents. This paper summarizes data of recent studies, in particular on the effect of nitrite on product safety and stability, and gives recommendations on the safe processing of meats with little or no nitrite added.