Behaviors of nitrite in cured meat

The behaviors of nitrite in cured meat were studied by means of 15N on the basis of the gaseous 15N volume from the added nitric acid. The myoglobin, 15N-nitrite and ascorbate model systems showed a 15N recovery rate of approximately 100%, but actual meat samples, treated similarly, showed a recovery rate ranging from 66 to 90%, with formation of an unidentified 15N agent. The largest amount of this unidentified agent was obtained by reaction of the 0.05 M NaCl-soluble dialyzable fraction of meat with 15N-nitrite. When the reaction product was isolated by Sephadex column chromatography, 15N in the fraction, which was thought to be the agent, contained approximately 26% of the added 15N, possessed no UV absorption, and was negative for a ninhydrin reagent. Of the NaCl soluble fraction, reaction in the acidic fraction produced the largest quantity of the unidentified 15N compound (31% of the added 15N). This compound was strongly acidic and consisted of 30.7% C, 6.6% H and 4.9% N on element analysis. It showed no mutagenicity against Salmonella by Ames Test. (Chiba, N.)