Nitrates and nitrites are found in many foods you may consume on a daily basis. They occur naturally in vegetables and are added to meat products as a preservative. Nitrates are relatively harmless, until they are converted into nitrites inside...
When you're pregnant, you're eating for two in a very real sense. Substances you ingest -- both good and bad -- can pass through the placenta to your baby. Sodium nitrite, a preservative found in cured, smoked and processed meats such as hot dogs,...
Nitrites are salts used as preservatives, usually within a brine during the meat curing process. The harmful aspect of meat when it spoils is the bacteria causing the spoilage -- for example, the botulinum toxin, which causes botulism. Nitrites...
Sodium nitrites are commonly used both to kill underground rodents and for food preservation, and they may cause severe health problems in some people. Canisters are placed in rodent holes and caused to explode. Sodium nitrites are released into...
Sodium nitrite is basically a form of salt used in meat curing and to preserve food. It is commonly added to processed meats like bacon, ham, and hot dogs, as well as fish, to prevent the cultivation of bacteria that cause botulism. Additionally,...
Food safety is of the utmost importance. Contracting botulism bacteria from the foods you eat can result in serious illness, and commercial food manufacturers may use food additives to preserve food, reducing your chances of coming into contact...
The "CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics" defines sodium nitrite as a salt with the chemical formula NaNO2. It's commonly used as a preservative in foods as a strong oxidizing agent. This means that sodium nitrite helps prevent bacteria growth...
Many of the foods and substances that are safe for you to consume when you're not pregnant are unsafe during pregnancy. Some substances that aren't safe even when you're not pregnancy -- but that most people consume anyway -- are particularly...
Although peanut butter, milk and fruits are common sources of food allergies, it also is possible to be allergic to other food components and additives. This includes nitrates, which are compounds that occur when nitrogen is broken down. Nitrates...
Sodium nitrite is a salt that helps to prevent bacterial cultivation of foods. Consequently, it's used as a preservative, especially in meats. You may have heard that it's not good for your health; this is true -- sodium nitrite can lead to...
Each year, more than 76 million Americans experience some form of foodborne illness, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, which cautions people to clean, separate, cook and chill foods. Centuries ago, people had much more...
Potassium nitrite should never be confused with potassium chloride or other potassium-containing compounds used as dietary supplements. Unlike these compounds, potassium nitrite has specialized uses in industry and food preparation. Although...
Consuming large amounts of sodium nitrite can be toxic, causing a number of health problems. In light of this, you should try to avoid sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, and other nitrites and nitrates when possible. However, due to contaminated...
Nitrate salts were identified as a unique meat preservative agent in the 19th century. Related nitrite compounds remain valued today for their effect on meat color and flavor, while preventing the growth of potentially deadly microbes. Food...
Nitrites are chemicals found in plant tissues when spoilage has occurred. According to an article titled "Nitrates and Nitrites", nitrites are food additives used in curing meat primarily to protect you against botulism. Even though experts have...
The chemical that makes your hot dogs that appetizing pink color is a preservative called sodium nitrite. Under very unusual circumstances, it can cause a fatal toxicity, but the most troubling aspect of this prevalent preservative is its known...
You've likely heard that there are a number of foods you should avoid during pregnancy because they have the potential to harm your developing baby. Foods that contain sodium nitrite, a common preservative, are among these. Because nitrites can...
Sodium nitrite is a common ingredient added to processed meats and fish that helps preserve the food and prevent bacterial growth that can cause botulism. This food additive also adds attractive color to meat and fish. While sodium nitrite is...
Curing meat with salt preserves the meat from spoilage. Meat packers use salts to inhibit bacteria growth and to remove most of the water from the meat. The bacteria responsible for spoilage require large amounts of water, so curing with salts...
Sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite are two food preservatives with very similar chemical formulas, but different properties in the body. Sodium nitrate, with the formula NaNO3, helps prevent bacterial colonization of foods. Sodium nitrite, with the...
Nitrates and nitrites are compounds created when nitrogen and oxygen atoms combine. Nitrates form naturally in the environment and are found in soil and water, which is absorbed into many plant-based foods you may eat. In your body, nitrates are...
Sodium nitrites preserve, cure, prevent discoloration and potentiate the color of processed meats. High levels of nitrites in your blood may cause a loss of consciousness and death, particularly among infants. Nitrites from the foods you eat are...
Sodium nitrite, an inorganic compound, appears as a white powder and is very soluble in water. In the food industry, it has found use as a perservative for smoked fish and for meats such as bacon and sausage because it retards the growth of the...
Sodium nitrites and monosodium glutamate, or MSG, are both used as flavor enhancers or food preservatives, but each can be dangerous to your health in large quantities. Because of the potential for toxicity, the federal government regulates how...
Sodium nitrite is a common meat preservative and dye that has both harmful and healthful effects. Check packages of processed meats, such as bacon, hot dogs, sausage and sliced deli meats, and chances are you'll find the term on the ingredients...
Sodium nitrite is a food preservative that also gives cured and processed meats, such as ham and hot dogs, their characteristic pinkish color. Many vegetables, including spinach, celery, beets and cabbage, naturally contain large amounts of...
Without salt as a preservative, cured meats would spoil quickly. The salt dries out the meat, preventing the growth of bacteria because bacteria needs a great amount of moisture to grow. Sodium nitrite -- an antioxidant and salt compound --...
Coronary heart disease, a condition in which plaque build ups inside the arteries that supply blood to your heart, is a high risk factor leading to heart attack. In the United States, over 1 million adults have a heart attack in a given year --...
Sodium nitrite is a food additive that is widely used in the meat industry as a color fixative and antibacterial agent to extend product shelf life and improve marketability. Sodium nitrite imparts a distinctive flavor to cured meats, such as hot...
Stomach cancer is a decreasing cancer in the USA, but is also a leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. Stomach cancer is when cells in the stomach become cancerous. In this video learn more about this cancer and how to prevent and treat it.
