Residual nitrite in sausage marketed in Brazil coming industries inspected by the Federal Inspection Service

Abstract

Embedded products are commercially important for the processing industries of meat in Brazil. In the process of manufacturing these products, nitrite salts are additives intentionally added to them to impart colour and flavour fixation, delaying lipid oxidation, increasing the useful life and inhibit the growth of microorganisms. The use of nitrite in embedded products is mainly studied, and the possibility of causing poisoning in humans if ingested in large amounts. Since the sausage is a manufactured product built with great acceptance by the market; 44 samples were collected randomly (11 brands and 04 different batches) of sausages able to be marketed in Brazil, coming from industries monitored by the Federal Inspection Service (SIF), to check the residual nitrite content in these products. The results showed that 84.1% of the samples presented to conform to the current legislation, while 15.9% did not comply. Non-compliant samples may indicate a technological shift in the industry that resulted in failure in the production process and attests to the constant need for control measures and monitoring by government agencies