Color retention agent and color retention assistant agent (I)

It needs to marinate meat during meat processing. Color retention agent can protect good color for meat. Nitrate is a common color retention agent for meat processing.

1.       Nitrate and nitrite function in meat product

(1)    Protect red color in raw materials. Generally, myoglobin accounts for 70%——90%, hemoglobin accounts for 10%——30%, so myoglobin is main content for presenting meat color.

In order to get bright red color in meat product, we usually add nitrate and nitrite during processing. It is usually mix salt in nitrate and nitrite during marinating meat. Nitrate deoxidizes into nitrite in the function of bacteria. While, it generates nitrate under acid condition.

(2) Restrain food poisoning and cankered bacteria’s growth in meat product. Nitrite has certain function for restraining microbial multiplication in meat product. But its function affected by PH. When PH is 6, it restrains bacteria obviously; when PH is 6.5, the function will be reduced greatly; if the PH value is 7, it cut no ice on the product. 

(3) It is able to increase meat product flavor. Nitrite impacts on meat flavor in two aspects:

1) Generate special marinated flavor, which is can not be replaced by other materials.

2) Prevent oxidation on fat to maintain unique flavor.

2. Issues on nitrite security

Recently, people discover that nitrite can generate N-nitroso compound, such as nitrosamine, which is strong carcinogen recognized in the world. Therefore, people pay much attention on nitrate and nitrite problem. . FAO/WHO and JECFA suggest restraining its dosage to the lowest extent when there isn’t any product to replace it.