Gary Sullivan

Meat curing is the result of meat components reacting with nitrogen oxide compounds to provide cured meat characteristics: stable color, flavor and aroma, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial control of select pathogens and spoilage organisms. Historically, meat curing started through nitrate-contaminated salt but progressed to primarily using synthetic sodium nitrite. Due to concerns about N-nitrosamine formation, meat curing practices were modified both in the amount of nitrite and the use of cure accelerators. Also, scientists began working on the area of “nitrite-free” cured meats. Research tends to take one of two approaches: an alternative source or formation of nitrate, nitrite, or nitric oxide or creating cured meat like characteristics from other compounds, such as colorants, as an individual ingredient or as a combination of ingredients. Plant-based nitrate/nitrite, such as pre-converted celery, beet, and Swiss chard, has become common for alternatively cured meat products. Other alternative curing approaches continue to be investigated and when evaluating their efficacy, it is important to consider all cured meat characteristics using appropriate experimental designs and controls.