2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Nitrates and nitrites are chemical compounds commonly used in the manufacture of dried meat products such as bacon.
A lot of ink has been spilled in discussing the idea that nitrates and nitrites are bad for us and food manufacturers are introducing all kinds of "nitrate-free" products to meet the ensuing consumer demand.
But what you may not know is that not only are fears about nitrates somewhat exaggerated, but these "nitrate-free" products can contain many times more nitrates than conventional products.
Nitrates and canned foods
Nitrates are used for drying, which is a broad category of techniques for storing food, mainly meat and fish, which involves the use of salt, sugar or dehydration. In any case, the goal is to make the food unattractive to the bacteria that cause it to spoil.
This works because bacteria are small organisms that require, among other things, moisture, oxygen and food. Take out one of these things and they will die.
There is an exception to this rule and it includes a type of bacteria that can only live in an oxygen-free environment. We'll talk about this in a moment.
Salt as a food preservative
One of the earliest methods of long-term food storage involves the use of salt. Salt prevents food from spoiling through a process known as osmosis, which sucks moisture out of the body by killing bacteria by dehydration.
Sodium nitrate is a type of salt that proves to be particularly effective food preservative. A naturally occurring mineral, sodium nitrate is present in all types of vegetables (root vegetables such as carrots, as well as leafy vegetables such as celery and spinach) along with all types of fruits and grains. Everything that grows from the ground extracts sodium nitrate from the soil.
If this seems strange, remember that the word nitrate refers to a compound of nitrogen, which is the largest component of our atmosphere. Every time you take a breath, you breathe 78 percent nitrogen.
Nitrates and nitrites
One of the things that happens when sodium nitrate is used as a preservative is that sodium nitrate is converted to sodium nitrite. It is sodium nitrite that has antimicrobial properties that make it a good preservative.
Interestingly, the sodium nitrate we consume through fruits, vegetables and grains is also converted to sodium nitrite through our digestive process. In other words, when we eat fruits, vegetables or grains, our bodies produce sodium nitrite.
Nitrites and cancer
Decades ago, some researchers raised the possibility nitrites to be associated with cancer in laboratory rats. This proposal received a lot of media attention. What received less attention was when further research revealed that they were wrong.
In fact, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society, and the National Council for Research agree that there is no evidence of cancer risk from sodium nitrite consumption.
Nitrate-free products
So how about all these supposed "nitrate-free" products? As it is rare to find a product that does not contain nitrates, manufacturers create claims such as "no nitrates are added".
The reality is that companies that make nitrate-free foods need to use something to replace sodium nitrate.
Celery juice is a popular choice. And guess what celery juice contains? Sodium nitrate. And guess what sodium nitrate turns into when you eat it? Sodium nitrite!! As we said earlier, celery is a natural source of sodium nitrate (note that currently no one claims that it causes cancer or that people should reduce their intake of celery).
But by adding celery juice to their products, manufacturers can make products loaded with sodium nitrate, while they can legally claim “no added nitrates.” This is, of course, because all nitrates are in celery juice.
Conclusion on nitrates and nitrites
Given that sodium nitrate occurs naturally in foods such as spinach, carrots and celery, plus the fact that nitrites never shown to cause cancer, the whole wave around nitrates and nitrites may seem like typical media hysteria.
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