![]() ![]() Nitrosamines are potent cancer causing agents and their potential presence in human foods became an immediate worry. The problem was traced to a group of compounds called nitrosamines, which formed by a chemical reaction between the naturally occurring amines in the fish and sodium nitrite. Our health may also suffer as a result of excessive exposure.Ĭoncern about the relatively small amounts of nitrites used as food additives began in the 1960's when researchers noted that domestic animals fed fish meal preserved with nitrites were dying of liver failure. But there is some worry that bacteria are not all that nitrites destroy. It is this substance that produces the characteristic color of cured meats and destroys the bacteria that can cause botulism. Actually, the situation is even a bit more complicated chemically, because the true active ingredient isn’t nitrite, but its decomposition product, nitric oxide. As soon as this was discovered, food processors realized that it was more efficient to use sodium nitrite directly as a preservative. Some bacteria in meat are resistant to salt and have the ability to convert nitrates into nitrites. The secret turned out to be an impurity, potassium nitrate, more familiar to us as “saltpeter.” Actually, the real secret isn’t even nitrate, it is nitrite. Furthermore, salt that worked particularly well also improved the meat’s flavor and color. About five hundred years ago, some clever cook noted that the effectiveness of salt in preserving meat depended on its source. Salting of meat is an ancient method of preservation based upon the ability of sodium chloride to kill bacteria by drawing out much of their water content. Luckily, botulism can be prevented by the appropriate use of sodium nitrite, a discovery that actually came about in an accidental fashion. Sausages are the classic example of the type of food that can be affected, and the word "botulism" in fact derives from the Latin "botulus," meaning sausage. ![]() The spores of this organism lurk in many foods and under the right conditions (lack of oxygen and low acidity), become active and liberate their toxin. Symptoms can range from double vision and difficulty in swallowing to paralysis and death. Seven million times more toxic than cobra venom, “botulin” poisons its victims by blocking the action of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. ![]() One of the most deadly substances known to mankind is produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Now on to the more serious aspects of saltpeter. The story that this chemical was put into soldiers’ food to decrease their sex drive is a total myth. “Saltpetre,” (the term refers either to potassium or sodium nitrate) has no effect on carnal urges. The second part of the question is easy to answer. ![]()
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