Effect of Sulfanilamide on the TBA Values of Cured Meats

The effect of sulfanilamide addition on the TBA numbers of meats cured with 0 ‐ 200 ppm levels of sodium nitrite has been investigated. Results indicate that the TBA numbers of meats cured with 100 ‐ 200 ppm level were always larger when sulfanilamide was present than in its absence. However, at low levels of 0 ‐ 50 ppm sodium nitrite the TBA values were always lower in the presence of sulfanilamide. This effect is substantial and has apparently not been observed before. A possible explanation has been put forward. In all cases a distillation method was employed to evaluate TBA numbers.