Nitrites

Sausage Making and Sodium Nitrite

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Nitrite in the form of curing salt,  Prague Powder, quick cure, etc. is used in sausage and jerky making to help prevent food poisoning. It also intensifies the flavor and color of processed meat which enhances the finished product. Botulism spores, which are found in all meat, are harmless and cause no problems by themselves. During the smoking process, however, these same spores could become dangerous.

Food Poisoning begins when meat is subjected to changes such as a lack of oxygen, low acidity, moisture and temperature ranges from 40 to 140 degrees.  Uncooked sausage, when placed into a typical smoker, begins to sweat with moisture immediately after the heat is applied.  The heat, in turn, forces the oxygen out the draft setting up the perfect condition for the development of food poisoning unless a commercial cure is used.
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Commercial Cure is a proportionate measure of salt and nitrite, regulated by the Federal Food and Drug Administration and the Meat Inspection Division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Individual cure manufacturers are responsible for maintaining the appropriate measures, thus assuring a finished sausage has no more than 200 parts per million of residual nitrite.

"Nitrite in Meat greatly delays development of botulinal toxin (botulism), develops cured meat flavor and color, retards development of rancidity and off-odors and off-flavors during storage, inhibits development of warmed-over flavor, and preserves flavors of spices, smoke, etc."
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"Adding Sodium Nitrite to meat is only part of the curing process.  Ordinary table salt (sodium chloride) is added because of its effect on flavor.  Sugar is added to reduce the harshness of salt.  Spices and other flavorings often are added to achieve a characteristic "brand" flavor.  Most, but not all, cured meat products are smoked after the curing process to impart a smoked meat flavor." 
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"Sodium Nitrate (commonly referred to as Salt Peter) Sodium Nitrite, rather than sodium nitrate, is most commonly used for curing, (although in some products, such as country ham, sodium nitrate is used because of the long aging period).  In a series of normal reactions, nitrite is converted to nitric oxide.  Nitric oxide combines with myoglobin, the pigment responsible for the natural red color in uncured meat.  They form nitric oxide myoglobin, which is a deep red color (a uncooked dry sausage) that changes to the characteristic bright pink normally associated with cured and smoked meats (such as wieners and ham) when heated during the smoking process."  University of Minnesota Extension Service    
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