It may not be possible to find a second food additive that can carry so much criticism like nitrite and stand firm. So, is sodium nitrite really carcinogenic? Why is ham adding this?
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > know sodium nitrite</h1>
Pure sodium nitrite is a white crystalline substance, which is a bit similar to the appearance of table salt, but it is definitely "worlds apart" from edible salt. Sodium nitrite It is a well-known food additive, mainly used as a preservative and color protector for meat foods such as bacon, sauce meat, plate duck, ham, sausage, enema, canned meat and so on.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the role of sodium nitrite</h1>
First, it has a special inhibitory effect on Clostridium botulinum to avoid food poisoning;
The second is to play the role of color protector, that is, to keep meat attractive red;
In addition, nitrites can also improve the flavor of cured meats.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > sodium nitrite carcinogenic? </h1>
Sodium nitrite has acute toxicity, if the human body ingests excessive amounts of sodium nitrite, can make the blood normal supply of oxygen required by each tissue hemoglobin into methemoglobin, so that it loses the ability to carry oxygen, which in turn leads to hypoxia poisoning of human tissues. However, sodium nitrite itself does not cause cancer, the terrible thing is that nitrite and protein amino acid breakdown products in food combine to produce nitrosamines, nitrosamines are listed internationally as Class 2A carcinogens.
According to the "National Standard for Food Safety and Standard for the Use of Food Additives" (GB 2760-2014), sodium nitrite and potassium nitrite can be used as color protectors and preservatives, mainly used in cured bacon products, sauce and brine products, smoked, roasted meat, fried meat, Western-style ham, meat enema, fermented meat products, canned meat and other foods. And the national standard GB 2760-2014 has made very detailed provisions on the maximum use and maximum residue of nitrite in each food, and for processed meat products, nitrite residue is also a mandatory inspection item for quality control. China stipulates that the maximum use of sodium nitrite in meat food is 0.15g/kg; the residue of Western-style ham (smoked, smoked, steamed ham) food ≤ 70mg/kg, and the remaining types of meat foods that are allowed to be used ≤ 30mg/kg. Therefore, as long as you buy products from regular manufacturers, you basically don't have to worry about exceeding the standard.
However, this does not mean that processed meat products such as ham can be eaten more! Because the World Health Organization's Cancer Research Institute issued an announcement listing processed meat products such as bacon, sausages, and ham as a class of carcinogens. If you eat it once in a while, it will not have much impact on the body, but it is best not to eat it for a long time and in large quantities.