engleski

The presence of N-nitrosamines in meat products

Nitrosamines are carcinogenic and toxic compounds that can form in meat and meat products as a result of the reaction of nitrite with meat proteins after adding nitrite or nitrates to meat or meat products. Nitrites or nitrite salt is used as food preservatives in different types of food products. They are added to both meat and meat products in order to preserve the characteristic red colour of the meat and the specific flavour of processed as well as cured meat. Harmful effects of nitrosamines have been proven in many scientific papers published over the past 40 years. Therefore, there has been even more pressure on food producers, and the meat industry to reduce the amount of added nitrites and nitrates in order to reduce human exposure to nitroso compounds. Nevertheless, the constant systematic control of the presence of N-nitrosamines in meat and meat products is essential since they are still the main source of proteins and make up a large proportion of the diet of the adult population as well as children. As a part of this study the presence of 6 different compounds of volatile N- nitrosamines in the samples of manufactured liver pâté of two different manufacturers on the Croatian market has been examined. Prior to the analysis the samples were stored at 3 different temperatures, and the presence of N- nitrosamines was determined at specific time intervals. After sample preparation using steam distillation and the extraction of redistillates with dichloromethane, the processed and purified sample extracts were analyzed by monitoring the characteristic ions using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS-SIM). The results obtained were in the range from 0, 0002 mg/kg to 0, 996 mg/kg, depending on the temperature and the length of storage. This research has established that storage temperature is actually associated with the development of N-nitrosamines in meat products. This is particularly true for the products stored at higher temperatures, or at room temperature as well as the temperature of 37°C for 5-10 days. It has also been confirmed that the formation of N-nitrosamines is closely linked to the amount of added nitrites in meat products and the method of storage products.

N-nitrosamines, meat, liver pâté, storage

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