Influence of Nitrate-nitrite Contamination on Pink Color Defect in Ginger Marinated Steamed Chicken Drumsticks

Research Progress of Nitrite Metabolism in Fermented Meat Products

“…Some emerging food sterilization methods, such as non-thermal plasma sterilization, can be used for the preparation of fermented meat products without nitrite [ 30 ]. The interaction of plasma with water can result in the generation of nitrate and nitrite, as well as reactive oxygen species.…”

“…The first is the reaction of nitric oxide (NO) with hemoglobin and myoglobin to form nitrohemoglobin and nitrosymyoglobin, which maintain the bright color of meat products [ 29 ]. Jarulertwattana found that 4 × 10 −6 g/g nitrite was suitable for curing chicken when used with ginger sauce, but more than 4 × 10 −6 g/g nitrite will cause pink defects in chicken legs [ 30 ]. Second, nitrite can inhibit the growth of Clostridium botulinum and Staphylococcus aureus .…”

Nitrite and nitrate in meat processing: Functions and alternatives

“…In addressing the food safety concerns, most researchers have, in recent years, focused on finding replacement color formation ingredients containing natural nitrite or nitrate, such as vegetable extracts and bacteria. Jarulertwattana et al (2021) found that 4 × 10 −6 g/g of nitrite was suitable for chicken meat marination when it was used with ginger paste, whereas more than 4 × 10 −6 g/g of nitrite will produce pink color defect in the drumsticks. Zhu et al (2020) used Lactobacillus plantarum to partially replace standard nitrite in pork sausages, finding that 50 mg/kg NaNO 2 combined with 7 log CFU/g L. plantarum produced similar effects to 100 mg/kg NaNO 2 alone.…”