QandAs: Food

What is Sodium Nitrite?

Answer:
Sodium nitrite is a chemical substance (NaNO2)

that is used in some food products like fish and meats; as a preservative, and as a color fixative. Sodium nitrite is also used to help prevent the growth of the bacteria which causes botulism (Clostridium botulinum).

Sodium nitrite is also sometimes used in medicine, as it is known to help dilate blood vessels, which can help to improve blood flow. In addition, sodium nitrite might prove helpful in persons with sickle-cell anemia, heart attacks, brain aneurysms, and cyanide poisoning; and research continues into other medical benefits of sodium nitrite.

Sodium nitrite is toxic to humans and other animals, at high levels; thus it is often dyed a pink color when used as an additive in some food products (such as meats) to help ensure its presence is known.

Unfortunately, sodium nitrite is also known to morph into carcinogenic nitrosamines in meats, when subjected to high temperatures. As such, sodium nitrite use in food products is regulated to 200 parts per million (ppm) concentrations in the United States.

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was found to prohibit sodium nitrite from changing into the nitrosamines when heated; thus the U.S. now also requires 550 ppm concentration of ascorbic acid (or other equivalent) in meat products containing sodium nitrite, to help prevent transformation to the nitrosamines.

Some persons who are prone to migraine type headaches might notice that sodium nitrite can trigger migraines; and it is reportedly being linked in some ways to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently recognize sodium nitrite as 'generally recognized as safe' (GRAS) for use in food products providing it is used according to recommended practices.

It should also be noted that the GRAS classification was given to sodium nitrite quite some time ago. When the 1958 Food Additives Amendment was adopted in the United States, sodium nitrite and numerous other chemicals were 'grandfathered' as GRAS, since they had been in prior use without known unsafe symptoms and effects.