Nitrates and nitrites are used to "cure" meat.聽聽Their role was likely discovered by accident and can be traced to the use of salt that happened to be contaminated with potassium or sodium nitrate, commonly known as 鈥渟altpeter.鈥澛犅燤eat treated with these chemicals retains a red colour, acquires a characteristic taste and most importantly, is less amenable to contamination with disease-causing bacteria, particularly the very dangerous Botulinum clostridium.
By the 1980s it became apparent that certain bacteria were capable of converting nitrates into nitrites and that nitrites were the actual active species.聽聽Consequently nitrites are now added directly to processed meat instead of relying on bacteria to produce them from nitrates.聽聽This allows for better control of nitrite concentrations, a critical aspect of processed meat production.聽聽Why critical?聽聽Because it is well known that nitrites can react with amines, naturally occurring compounds present in meat, as well as in human tissues, to form nitrosamines.聽聽And that is the fly in the hot dog.聽聽Nitrosamines can trigger cancer!聽聽Of course demonstrating that nitrosamines can produce mutations in a Petri dish or that animals treated with high doses develop cancer, does not mean that these compounds are responsible for cancers in humans.聽聽In any case, changes in manufacturing methods and a reduction in the amount of added nitrite have essentially solved the problem of nitrosamine formation in cured meat.
In spite of the epidemiological evidence linking nitrites to cancer being weak, and the established fact that 95% of all the nitrite we ingest comes from bacterial conversion of nitrates naturally found in vegetables, many consumers have a lingering concern about eating nitrite-cured processed meats.聽聽But one person鈥檚 concern is another鈥檚 business opportunity.聽聽In this case, producers have responded with an array of 鈥渘atural鈥� and 鈥渙rganic鈥� processed meats sporting the catchy phrases such as 鈥渘o synthetic preservatives鈥� or 鈥渘o nitrites added.鈥澛犅燘ut given the crucial role nitrites play in processed meats, how do you replace them?聽聽Well, you don鈥檛.聽聽You just replace the source of the nitrite.
Celery has a very high concentration of natural nitrate, and treating celery juice with a bacterial culture produces nitrite.聽聽The concentrated juice can then be used to produce 鈥渘o nitrite added鈥� processed meat.聽聽Curiously, regulations stipulate that the traditional curing process requires the addition of nitrite and thus 鈥渙rganic鈥� processed meats that are treated with celery juice have to be labeled as 鈥渦ncured.鈥�
Such terminology is confusing because most consumers look to 鈥渙rganic鈥� processed meats in order to avoid nitrites, but the fact is that these do contain nitrites, sometimes in lesser, sometimes in greater amounts than found in conventional products.聽聽That鈥檚 because the amount of nitrite that forms from nitrate in celery juice is hard to monitor, while in conventionally cured processed meats, the addition of nitrite is strictly controlled by regulations designed to minimize nitrosamine formation and maximize protection against botulism.聽聽This means any risk due to nitrosamine formation or bacterial contamination in the 鈥渙rganic鈥� version is more challenging to evaluate.
So what does all of this mean?聽聽Basically, that buying 鈥渙rganic鈥� hot dogs or bacon with a view towards living longer by avoiding nitrites makes no sense.聽聽Limiting such foods because of their high fat and salt content, whether organic or conventional, makes very good sense.聽聽Cutting them out totally, as the Physicians鈥� Committee for Responsible Medicine would have us do?聽聽No thanks.聽聽Remember that it is unrealistic to evaluate every bite of food as being 鈥渉ealthy鈥� or 鈥渦nhealthy!鈥澛犅營t is the overall diet that matters.聽聽It is possible to avoid cured meats completely and still have a terrible diet while one can have a healthy diet by occasionally indulging in these tasty morsels.聽聽Emphasize a mostly plant-based diet?聽聽By all means.聽But dogmatic tirades against hot dogs?聽聽That鈥檚 ideology, not science.
