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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1973 March; 25(3): 357-362
Copyright © 1973 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of Nitrite and Nitrate on Toxin Production by Clostridium botulinum and on Nitrosamine Formation in Perishable Canned Comminuted Cured Meat

Swift and Company, Research and Development Center, Oak Brook, Illinois 60521
Scientific Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250
Division of Microbiology, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D.C. 20204
Division of Chemistry and Physics, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D.C. 20204
American Meat Institute Foundation, Chicago, Illinois 60605

ABSTRACT

Comminuted ham was formulated with different levels of sodium nitrite and nitrate, inoculated with Clostridium botulinum, and pasteurized to an internal temperature of 68.5 C. When added to the meat, nitrite concentrations decreased, and cooking had little effect on them. Nitrite concentrations decreased more rapidly during storage at 27 than at 7 C; however they remained rather constant at formulated levels throughout the experiment at both incubation temperatures. The level of nitrite added to the meat greatly influenced growth and toxin production of C. botulinum. The concentration of nitrite necessary to effect complete inhibition was dependent on the inoculum level. With 90 C. botulinum spores/g of meat, botulinum toxin developed in samples formulated with 150 but not with 200 µg of nitrite per g of meat. At a spore level of 5,000/g, toxin was detected in samples with 400 but not with 500 µg of nitrite per g of the product incubated at 27 C. At lower concentrations of nitrite, growth was retarded at both spore levels. No toxin developed in samples incubated at 7 C. Nitrate showed a statistically significant inhibitory effect at a given nitrite level; however, the effect was insufficient to be of practical value. Analyses for 14 volatile nitrosamines from samples made with varying levels of nitrite and nitrate were negative at a detection level of 0.01 µg of nitrite or nitrate per g of meat.