Nitrites are inorganic salts widespread in water, fruits, vegetables, meat and meat products. Application of nitrites in the meat industry is necessary for multiple reasons. They suppress development of some microorganisms in food and are a source of nitrogen oxide that is widely involved in physiological functions of metabolism, food intake and energy balance. On the other hand, nitrites in food can produce nitrosamines that increase the risk of cancer. During regular quality control in 2016-2018, 972 samples of meat products were analysed and verifi ed for compliance with regulations concerning nitrite levels, and the average participation of these meat products in daily intake of nitrite was estimated. The amount of nitrites in the examined meat products was within the permitted limits. The daily intake of nitrite in Serbia from meat and meat products was estimated as being from 0.015-0.020 mg kg −1 body weight, which is below the limit values set by EFSA for safe daily intake, i.e. 0.06-0.07 mg kg −1 body weight.

The aim of this study was to assess the dietary exposure of phosphorus in the Serbian adult population by combining individual consumption data with available data for analysed meat products. During a three years period of investigation (2018 to 2020), a total of 682 samples consisting of 425 cooked sausages and 257 smoked meat products were collected from different local retail markets across the Serbia to examine phosphorus concentrations. The mean phosphorus concentration, expressed as P2O5, varied from 4.68±0.88 g/kg to 6.05±1.30 g/kg in finely minced cooked sausages and smoked meat products, respectively. The average estimated daily dietary intake (exposure) (EDI) of phosphorus ranged from 1.115 mg/kg BW (body weight)/day (finely minced cooked sausages) to 1.441 mg/kg BW/day (smoked meat products). Phosphorus dietary intake (exposure) averaged 3.08% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI: 40 mg/kg BW/day). According to our results, the average phosphorus exposure in the Serbian adult population from consumption of these meat products is far below the European ADI.

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Recent views on the use of preservatives sorbic and benzoic acids and their salts in meat products are presented from the point of accordance with current legislation in the Republic of Serbia and the EU, food safety and public health risks, and mainstreams in the methodology for their determination. These preservatives are permitted to be added individually or in combination, the maximum level is applicable to the sum and the levels are expressed as the free acid. Currently set values of the recommended daily intake of sorbate and benzoate are 25 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg, respectively. These values vary and depend on regulations in different countries. Considering control of the use of these additives, the most common methods for their determination are chromatographic methods based on high performance, or high pressure, liquid chromatography with diode array detectors.

This paper presents a modification of the reference method for the determination of dietary fiber in food, its validation using two quality control materials and application to meat products. Dietary fiber is a very important food ingredient with multiple positive effects in human nutrition. In recent decades, efforts have been made to enrich with fiber some foods that do not naturally contain fiber to a significant extent, such as meat products. Fiber content must be declared in accordance with legal regulations, and it is necessary to have reliable methods for determining their amount in food. The results obtained show the described modified and optimized method can be applied to meat products, with significant savings in the preparation time and consumption of reagents.