Teores de nitrito de sódio em produtos cárneos comercializados em Maceió-AL

Abstract

Sodium nitrite is a food additive widely used in meat products to enhance their appearance,impart their characteristic flavor and odor, retard lipid oxidation, and prevent the development of thebotulism-causing toxin Clostridium botulinium. The use of this additive remains a matter of concern forthe scientific community worldwide, due to the fact that it poses toxicological risks to human health,depending on the ingested amount and on the susceptibility of each organism. Aiming to control theconcentration of this additive in meat products, the legislation in Brazil states the permissible amounts ofresidual nitrite. The goal in this paper was to quantify the sodium nitrite content in meat products sold atretail outlets in the city of Maceio – AL. The study yielded trace results for residual sodium nitrite injerked beef (0,3 – 0,5 ppm or mg/kg), ham (1,7 – 3,5 ppm or mg/kg), tuscan sausage (0,5 – 1,6 ppm or mg/kg), smoked calabrese sausage (1.6 ppm or mg/kg), and mortadella (trace: 0,3 – 1,7 ppm or mg/kg). Thesefigures are all below the legal maximum permissible residual limit in Brazil. Notwithstanding the fact thatthe samples analyzed were all within the legal standards, preventive measures such as food qualitycontrol within the manufacturing organizations and government inspection must be kept in place.