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History of Nitrite and Nitrate in Food

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Nitrite and Nitrate in Human Health and Disease

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief historical perspective of the use of nitrates and nitrites in curing meat products and their presence in other foods. It cites the regulatory limits of cure ingredients as established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and provides a synopsis of the low residual levels of nitrite/nitrate in present-day cured meats. Highly consumed vegetables are the primary contributors to the dietary nitrate/nitrite load along with water in some municipalities. Although nitrites/nitrates have received public health scrutiny since the early 1960s, these two molecules have a rich history in food dating back thousands of years.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Texas A&M University, 1090 Pace Rd., College Station, TX, 38059, USA

    Jimmy T. Keeton B.S., M.S., Ph.D.

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  1. Jimmy T. Keeton B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Jimmy T. Keeton B.S., M.S., Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA

    Nathan S. Bryan

  2. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Joseph Loscalzo

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Keeton, J.T. (2017). History of Nitrite and Nitrate in Food. In: Bryan, N., Loscalzo, J. (eds) Nitrite and Nitrate in Human Health and Disease. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46189-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46189-2_7

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-46187-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-46189-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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