Food additive (Sodium Nitrate)
Humane toxin for feral hogs/wild boar control
Because of sodium nitrite's high level of toxicity to swine (
Sus scrofa) it is now being developed in Australia to control feral pigs and
wild boar.
Facts About Sodium Nitrate
Nitrates and nitrites are chemical compounds commonly used in making
cured meat products like bacon and hot dogs. A lot of ink has been
spilled discussing the idea that nitrates and nitrites are bad for you,
and food manufacturers have introduced all kinds of supposedly
"nitrate-free" products to meet the resulting consumer demand.
Nitrates and Preserving Foods
Nitrates are used in curing, which is a broad category of techniques for
preserving foods, mainly meat and fish, that involves the use of salt,
sugar, or some form of dehydration. In each case, the goal is to make
the food unattractive to the
bacteria that cause food spoilage.
This works because bacteria are tiny organisms that require, among
other things, moisture, oxygen and food. Take away one of these things
and they die.
Salt as a Food Preservative
One of the earliest methods for curing food involved the use of salt. Salt prevents food spoilage through a process known as
osmosis, whereby it basically sucks the moisture out of the bacteria's bodies, killing them by dehydration.
Sodium nitrate is a type of salt that happens to be a particularly
effective food preservative. A naturally occurring mineral, sodium
nitrate is present in all kinds of vegetables (root veggies like carrots
as well as leafy greens like celery and spinach) along with all sorts
of fruits and grains. Basically, anything that grows from the ground
draws sodium nitrate out of the soil.
If this seems strange, remember that the word
nitrate refers to a
compound made of nitrogen, which is the single biggest component of our
atmosphere. Every time you take a breath, you're breathing 78 percent
nitrogen. The soil itself is loaded with the stuff.
Nitrates and Nitrites
One of the things that happens when sodium nitrate is used as a curing agent is that the sodium
nitrate is converted to sodium
nitrite.
It's sodium nitrite that actually possesses the antimicrobial
properties that make it a good preservative. Interestingly, the sodium
nitrate that we consume through fruits, vegetables and grains is also
converted to sodium nitrite by our digestive process. In other words,
when we eat fruits, vegetables or grains, our bodies produce sodium
nitrite.
Nitrites and Cancer
Several decades ago, some researchers raised the possibility that
nitrites could be linked to cancer in laboratory rats. This suggestion
received a lot of media attention. What received less media attention,
however, was when it turned out that they were wrong. Indeed, the
National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society and the
National Research Council all agree that there's no cancer risk from
consuming sodium nitrite.
Nitrate-Free Products
So what about all those supposedly "nitrate-free" hot dogs, bacon and
other so-called "uncured" products? Since completely uncured hot dogs
are not palatable to consumers, it's very rare indeed to find a product
that is totally nitrate-free. Instead, manufacturers make claims such as
"no nitrates added."
The reality is that companies that make nitrate-free hot dogs have to
use something to substitute for the sodium nitrate. Celery juice is a
popular choice. And guess what celery juice contains lots of? Sodium
nitrate. And guess what that sodium nitrate turns into when you eat it?
Sodium nitrite!
As we said earlier, celery is a natural source of sodium nitrate.
(Notice that no one is currently claiming that celery causes cancer or
that people should reduce their intake of celery.) But by adding celery
juice to their hot dogs, manufacturers can make products loaded with
sodium nitrate while legally being able to claim "no added nitrates."
Because all the nitrates are in the celery juice. As a matter of fact,
these supposedly "natural" or "organic" products sometimes contain twice
as much sodium nitrate, even up to a whopping ten times as much sodium
nitrate, as conventional products.
Nitrites and Botulism
So nitrates and nitrites are both harmless and ubiquitous. But is it
really possible that eating nitrate-free meats could actually be
more dangerous than eating meats that do contain sodium nitrate? The answer is yes.
One special property of sodium nitrite is that it prevents the growth of
Clostridium botulinum.
One of the most toxic substances known, Clostridium botulinum produces
botulism, a paralytic illness that can lead to respiratory failure.
The botulism bacteria is peculiar bug because unlike most microbes, it
actually requires an oxygen-free environment to live. Once it hits the
air, it dies. So it tends to appear in canned foods, vacuum-packed
foods, garlic stored in oil and improperly cured meats. It just so
happens that sodium nitrite is especially effective at preventing the
growth of Clostridium botulinum.
Conclusions About Nitrates and Nitrites
Given that sodium nitrate occurs naturally in foods like spinach,
carrots and celery, as well as the fact that nitrite has never been
shown to cause cancer, all the fuss about nitrates and nitrites might
seem like typical media-driven hysteria. Moreover, the supposedly
"natural" or "organic" versions of these products can contain many times
more sodium nitrate than their conventional counterparts. But when you
consider the increased likelihood of contracting botulism, it's actually
the nitrate-free products that present the real health risk.
Note : You can find more in other blogs also
Food additive (Sodium Nitrate)
Humane toxin for feral hogs/wild boar control
Because of sodium nitrite's high level of toxicity to swine (
Sus scrofa) it is now being developed in Australia to control feral pigs and
wild boar.
Facts About Sodium Nitrate
Nitrates and nitrites are chemical compounds commonly used in making
cured meat products like bacon and hot dogs. A lot of ink has been
spilled discussing the idea that nitrates and nitrites are bad for you,
and food manufacturers have introduced all kinds of supposedly
"nitrate-free" products to meet the resulting consumer demand.
Nitrates and Preserving Foods
Nitrates are used in curing, which is a broad category of techniques for
preserving foods, mainly meat and fish, that involves the use of salt,
sugar, or some form of dehydration. In each case, the goal is to make
the food unattractive to the
bacteria that cause food spoilage.
This works because bacteria are tiny organisms that require, among
other things, moisture, oxygen and food. Take away one of these things
and they die.
Salt as a Food Preservative
One of the earliest methods for curing food involved the use of salt. Salt prevents food spoilage through a process known as
osmosis, whereby it basically sucks the moisture out of the bacteria's bodies, killing them by dehydration.
Sodium nitrate is a type of salt that happens to be a particularly
effective food preservative. A naturally occurring mineral, sodium
nitrate is present in all kinds of vegetables (root veggies like carrots
as well as leafy greens like celery and spinach) along with all sorts
of fruits and grains. Basically, anything that grows from the ground
draws sodium nitrate out of the soil.
If this seems strange, remember that the word
nitrate refers to a
compound made of nitrogen, which is the single biggest component of our
atmosphere. Every time you take a breath, you're breathing 78 percent
nitrogen. The soil itself is loaded with the stuff.
Nitrates and Nitrites
One of the things that happens when sodium nitrate is used as a curing agent is that the sodium
nitrate is converted to sodium
nitrite.
It's sodium nitrite that actually possesses the antimicrobial
properties that make it a good preservative. Interestingly, the sodium
nitrate that we consume through fruits, vegetables and grains is also
converted to sodium nitrite by our digestive process. In other words,
when we eat fruits, vegetables or grains, our bodies produce sodium
nitrite.
Nitrites and Cancer
Several decades ago, some researchers raised the possibility that
nitrites could be linked to cancer in laboratory rats. This suggestion
received a lot of media attention. What received less media attention,
however, was when it turned out that they were wrong. Indeed, the
National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society and the
National Research Council all agree that there's no cancer risk from
consuming sodium nitrite.
Nitrate-Free Products
So what about all those supposedly "nitrate-free" hot dogs, bacon and
other so-called "uncured" products? Since completely uncured hot dogs
are not palatable to consumers, it's very rare indeed to find a product
that is totally nitrate-free. Instead, manufacturers make claims such as
"no nitrates added."
The reality is that companies that make nitrate-free hot dogs have to
use something to substitute for the sodium nitrate. Celery juice is a
popular choice. And guess what celery juice contains lots of? Sodium
nitrate. And guess what that sodium nitrate turns into when you eat it?
Sodium nitrite!
As we said earlier, celery is a natural source of sodium nitrate.
(Notice that no one is currently claiming that celery causes cancer or
that people should reduce their intake of celery.) But by adding celery
juice to their hot dogs, manufacturers can make products loaded with
sodium nitrate while legally being able to claim "no added nitrates."
Because all the nitrates are in the celery juice. As a matter of fact,
these supposedly "natural" or "organic" products sometimes contain twice
as much sodium nitrate, even up to a whopping ten times as much sodium
nitrate, as conventional products.
Nitrites and Botulism
So nitrates and nitrites are both harmless and ubiquitous. But is it
really possible that eating nitrate-free meats could actually be
more dangerous than eating meats that do contain sodium nitrate? The answer is yes.
One special property of sodium nitrite is that it prevents the growth of
Clostridium botulinum.
One of the most toxic substances known, Clostridium botulinum produces
botulism, a paralytic illness that can lead to respiratory failure.
The botulism bacteria is peculiar bug because unlike most microbes, it
actually requires an oxygen-free environment to live. Once it hits the
air, it dies. So it tends to appear in canned foods, vacuum-packed
foods, garlic stored in oil and improperly cured meats. It just so
happens that sodium nitrite is especially effective at preventing the
growth of Clostridium botulinum.
Conclusions About Nitrates and Nitrites
Given that sodium nitrate occurs naturally in foods like spinach,
carrots and celery, as well as the fact that nitrite has never been
shown to cause cancer, all the fuss about nitrates and nitrites might
seem like typical media-driven hysteria. Moreover, the supposedly
"natural" or "organic" versions of these products can contain many times
more sodium nitrate than their conventional counterparts. But when you
consider the increased likelihood of contracting botulism, it's actually
the nitrate-free products that present the real health risk.
Note : You can find more in other blogs also
