Organic Hot Dogs Vs. Conventional Hot Dogs Page 3: Hot Dog
Nitrates & Nitrites Click here to read other Organic Matter
columns This is Page 3 of a six-page article. Click on the black
links below to visit other pages. Nitrates and nitrites are
chemicals that occur naturally in both foods from animals and
food derived from plants. When nitrates break down through
digestion or other means, they form nitrites. Both substances
are extraordinarily useful to processed meat manufacturers, as
they provide cured meats (including hot dogs) with their
characteristic “cured meat” flavor and their usual pink color.
These chemicals are also very important in food preservation;
they’re especially good at combating botulism. They’ve been used
for these purposes since the late 1800s. So what’s the problem?
It turns out that amines, substances that occur when protein is
digested, combine with nitrites to form compounds that are
carcinogens. This holds true for any processed product with
nitrites or nitrates; it isn’t just hot