Trends in the Levels of Residual Nitrite in Canadian Cured Meat Products over the Past 25 Years

Nitrite is used widely as a preservative in the processing of cured meat products mainly for its antimicrobial properties against Clostridium botulinum . There is concern, however, over nitrite's role in the formation of various N -nitroso compounds in such products and for a suggested link between consumption of cured meats and incidence of childhood leukemia and brain tumors. The objective of this study was to obtain current data on residual nitrite levels in Canadian cured meat products that will be useful for health hazard assessment purposes and to determine trends in these levels. The average levels of nitrite (as NaNO 2 ) detected in Canadian cured meat products in various surveys over the past 25 years were as follows: 28 ppm (0−252 ppm; n = 197) in 1972; 44 ppm (0−275 ppm; n = 659) in 1983−1985; 31 ppm (1−145 ppm; n = 76) in 1993−1995; and 28 ppm (4−68 ppm; n = 35) in 1996. There appeared to be a noticeable decline in the incidence of samples containing high levels (>100 ppm) of nitrite, but the average residual levels might have decreased only slightly during this period. The latest data are in contrast to those reported in a recent U.S. study that indicated an average of only 10 ppm of residual nitrite ion (equivalent to 15 ppm of NaNO 2 ) in cured meats.