Detection of nitrite in meat products

Principle
Meat products which are treated with nitrite pickling salt keep a fresh red colour, which is resistant to heat. Meat products are treated with salt, nitrite and nitrate to keep them longer. Nitrite pickling salt is a mixture of common salt with approx. 0.5 % nitrite. Nitrite changes the muscle substance myoglobin in meat and meat products to a heat-stable dye, nitroso-myoglobin, by addition of NO. In addition, nitrite inhibits the propagation of spoilage microorganisms, generates a typical pickling aroma and delays fat from going rancid.

Learning objectives

• Verification procedures for nitrate in foods

Benefits

• Easy teaching and efficient learning by using interactive experimentation PHYWE-Software
• Experiment is part of a complete solution set with experiments for the topic Food Chemistry matched with international curriculum: all topics are covered