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Studies on the Regulation for Use, Metabolism, Intake, and Safety of Sodium Nitrite in Meat Products  

Lee Keun-Taik (Department of Food Science, Kangnung National University)
Kang Jong-Ok (Department of Animal Resource & Sciences, Dankook University)
Kim Cheon-Jei (College of Animal Husbandry, Konkuk University)
Lee Mooha (School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University)
Lee Sung Ki (Department of Food Science and Technology in Animal Resources, Kangwon National University)
Lee Joo-Yeon (Department of Food Standard, Korea Food And Drug Administration)
Lee Ju-Woon (Department of Radiation Food Science & Biotechnology, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)
Cho Soo-Hyun (National Livestock Research Institute, RDA)
Joo Seon-Tea (Division of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Gyeongsang National University)
Chin Koo B. (Animal Science and Biotechnology Research Institute, Chonnam National University)
Choi Sung-Hee (Department of Food Science, Sunmoon University)
Publication Information
Food Science of Animal Resources / v.25, no.1, 2005 , pp. 103-120 More about this Journal
Abstract
During the 1970s, concern arose that cured meats contained high levels of residual nitrite and preformed nitrosamines. Therefore, the search for alternatives and alternative approaches to the use of nitrite have been still continued, however no complete alternative for nitrite has yet been identified. Recently, it was publicized in Korea that nitrite-containing meat products would be detrimental to health, about which consumers have been seriously concerned. Therefore, this study was carried out to inform the consumer of the safety status of nitrite and thereby to lead proper consumption of meat products. For assessing the safety of nitrite, data regarding the regulation for use, metabolism in human body, and dietary intake amounts of nitrite were collected and analyzed. The mean intake level of nitrite for Korean per capita was recently reported to be not more than 1% of ADI set by JECFA. On the contrary, a calculation indicated that the daily nitrite intake per capita from saliva by ingestion of vegetables in Korea would be about 300-fold higher than that from cured meats. In consideration of the low consumption amount of meat products per capita of Korean, that is, at least one fifth, compared to European and American, there is no particular reason to concern about the impairment of health by nitrite intake from meat products for Korean. However, any effort for the reduction of residual nitrite content in cured meats should be given with an idea to minimize the intake of nitrite even from the minor source.
Keywords
nitrite; meat products; regulation; intake; metabolism;
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