Abstract
ALTHOUGH nitrites have been used officially in meat curing processes for well over a decade in the United States1, it is only comparatively recently that their use has been permitted in Great Britain2. Un-doubtedly, the predominant reason for their inclusion in cured meats has been the fact that they occasion a desirable colour in the finished product3; but it appears that they may also play an important part in producing a typical “cured” flavour2. When consumed directly, quantities of sodium nitrite in excess of 0.2 gm. may produce marked toxic effects in man4 so that their use in foods must be strictly controlled. For this reason pure food regulations both on the North American continent and in Great Britain forbid the inclusion of more than 0.02 per cent (200 parts per million) of sodium nitrite in cured meats.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Change history
01 June 1941
The title of the letter by Dr. H. L. A. Tarr in NATURE of April 5, p. 417, should read “The Bacteriostatic Action of Nitrites”; thus the work relates to “nitrites” and not to “nitrates” as printed.
References
Kerr, Marsh, Schroeder and Boyer, J. Agric. Res., 33, 541 (1926).
Brooks, Haines, Moran and Pace, Food Inv. Bd. Gt. Brit., Spec. Rep. No. 49 (1940).
Brooks, Proc. Roy. Soc, B, 123, 368 (1937).
Reiss, Meyer and Müller, Z. Untersuch. Lebensmittel, 55, 325 (1928).
Lewis and Moran, Inst. Amer Meat Packers, Bull. No. 4 (1928).
Tanner and Evans, Zbl. Bakt Apt. II, 91, 1 (1934).
Stephenson, ‘Bacterial Metabolism”, London (1939).
Landerkin, Food Res., 5, 205 (1940).
Tarr and Sunderland, Fish. Res. Bd. Can., Prog. Rep. Pacific, 39, 13 (1939); 40, 14 (1939); J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada, 5, 148 (1940).
Tarr and Sunderland, Fish. Res. Bd. Can., Prog. Rep. Pacific, 44, 16 (1940).
Tarr, J. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada (in press).
Ingram, J. Bact., 38, 613 (1939).
Quastel and Woolridge, Biochem. J., 21, 148 (1927).
Bittenbender, Degermg, Tetrault, Feasley and Gwynn, Ind. Eng. Chem., 32, 996 (1940).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
TARR, H. Bacteriostatic Action of Nitrates. Nature 147, 417–418 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/147417b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/147417b0
This article is cited by
-
Strategies on designing multifunctional surfaces to prevent biofilm formation
Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering (2015)
-
Intrinsic factors in meat products counteracting botulinogenic conditions
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1968)
-
Antioxidants and Prevention of Rancidity in certain Pacific Coast Fish
Nature (1944)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.