Fate of added nitrite in cured meat. I. Fate of nitrite in meat-curing model systems composed of myoglobin, nitrite and ascorbate.

The fate of the nitrite during curing and cooking was investigated with the model solutions composed of myoglobin, sodium nitrite and sodium ascorbate at various ratios. All nitrogen in nitrite, after curing and cooking, was recovered as residual nitrite (I), nitrate (II), nitrosyl group of denatured nitrosomyoglobin (III) and gaseous nitrogen compounds (IV). I, III and IV increased when the cooking temperature was raised from 70°C to 80°C. Almost all of the nitrite-N was recovered as II whenever greening occurred in the curing period. IV was produced under the condition where both sodium nitrite and sodium ascorbate were abundant as compared with myoglobin, and this reaction proceeded not in the curing period but at the cooking stage. The addition of sodium chloride into the model system increased I and III. A possible scheme of the fate of the added nitrite was discussed from the results obtained.