The practice of adding substances to foods for easy storage is not a chemical or industrial invention, but is an ancient tradition. Some examples are the addition of an acid juice (such as lemon) to prevent the blackening of a vegetable, as well as the use of the smoke from wood, especially ones rich in resin. And, in the specific case of the meat, the use of salt. In fact, the ancient Romans already had observed that saltpetre was improving the production of cured meats and sausages, avoiding the browning of the meat and especially preventing the proliferation of unwanted bacteria.

Precisely for this reason, in the production of some cured meats are added, in controlled quantities, nitrates and nitrites that, inter alia, have the property of maintaining the colour of meat.

In 2003, the EFSA – European Food Safety Authority explicitly stated in an important counsel to the European Commission that “in most processed meat products the addition of nitrite (or nitrate) is necessary to prevent the development and production of toxins for C. botulinum”.

Thanks to the use of the refrigerator and microbiological knowledge, in addition to compliance with the hygiene rules and to the exploitation of the bacteriostatic properties of spices and herbs such as garlic, pepper and chilli, you can nowadays produce safe cured meat using few preservatives.

In the DOP hams, for example, the prolonged maturing process makes unnecessary the use of salts, which in fact are no longer used in these products. As for all substances, also in the case of these compounds an excess consumption can lead to negative consequences for health.

Although it should be noted that nitrates are a component of many plant foods (lettuce contains 3 grams per kg), the nutritional balance, repeatedly emphasised with the promotion of the Mediterranean Diet, is the way to valorise the benefits of each individual food reducing health risks.

The Sustainable Meat Project