Food and Drug Administration issued ＂Food Safety Risk Analysis＂ to interpret nitrite.
CCTV News:According to the State Food and Drug Administration, food poisoning reports have been on the rise since the summer, and one of the main reasons is food poisoning caused by eating braised pork products and cold dishes with excessive nitrite. So, what is nitrite? How to cause food poisoning? What are the relevant standards and regulations? How should consumers and related food producers and operators prevent food poisoning caused by nitrite? Recently, china food and drug administration released the 13th issue of Food Safety Risk Analysis in 2016, and organized relevant experts to interpret nitrite.
1. Nitrite is a kind of nitrogen-containing inorganic compound ubiquitous in nature, which can be used as a food additive in meat products.
Nitrite and nitrate are common nitrogen-containing inorganic compounds in nature. Nitrogen cycle in nature and human activities constitute an important source of nitrate. In the process of nitrate formation, nitrite is often accompanied by the action of microorganisms. The common nitrites are mainly sodium nitrite and potassium nitrite, which are similar to salt in appearance, white to light yellow, powdery or granular, odorless, slightly salty, easily deliquescent and soluble in water.
Chinese first invented the use of nitrite to process livestock meat, which was used to extend the shelf life of meat. According to the scientific and technological volume of History of Song Dynasty, nitrite can be used for preserving and coloring bacon, and it was introduced to Europe in the 13th century.
Two, China and other countries in the world have clearly defined the limit and residue of nitrite in food.
The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of FAO and WHO (JECFA) stipulates that the daily allowable intake of nitrite is 0-0.2 mg/kg bw. All countries in the world also stipulate the limit of nitrite in food.
China’s national food safety standards have strict requirements on the use and safety management of nitrite, and it is safe to use nitrite according to the standards. The National Standard for Food Safety-Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014) stipulates that sodium nitrite and potassium nitrite can be used as color fixatives and preservatives in the processing of cured meat products, braised pork products in sauce and smoked meat, roasted meat, etc., and stipulates the maximum dosage and maximum residue. The Limit of Pollutants in Food (GB 2762-2012) stipulates the limit of nitrite residues in raw milk, packaged drinking water, pickled vegetables and other products. The Announcement of the former Ministry of Health and the former State Food and Drug Administration on Prohibiting Catering Service Units from Purchasing, Storing and Using Food Additive Nitrite (Announcement No.10 of the Ministry of Health in 2012) prohibits catering service units from purchasing, storing and using food additive nitrite (sodium nitrite and potassium nitrite).
Third, excessive intake of nitrite can lead to poisoning and even death.
Under normal diet, nitrite in human body is mainly transformed from nitrate in food and drinking water by bacteria in mouth and stomach. Studies have shown that nitrite can be reduced to nitric oxide through certain channels. Eating food containing low levels of nitrite can supplement nitrite in human body.
However, if a large amount of nitrite is ingested orally (by mistake or excessive intake) in a short period of time, it is easy to cause acute poisoning, and the low-iron hemoglobin with normal oxygen-carrying capacity in the blood is oxidized to methemoglobin, which loses its oxygen-carrying capacity and causes tissue hypoxia, which is called methemoglobinemia. When the intake reaches 0.2-0.5g, it can cause poisoning, and when the intake exceeds 3g, it can cause death. The characteristic manifestation of poisoning is cyanosis, and the symptoms and signs include headache, dizziness, fatigue, chest tightness, shortness of breath, palpitation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, cyanosis of lips, nails, skin and mucosa, etc. In severe cases, consciousness is hazy, fidgety, coma, respiratory failure and even death.
Four, common nitrite causes food poisoning.
According to the Circular of the General Office of the National Health and Family Planning Commission on National Food Poisoning Events in 2015 (Guo Wei Ban Emergency Fa [2016] No.5), the main pathogenic factors of chemical food poisoning events in 2015 were nitrite and tetramine. Among them, there were 9 food poisoning incidents caused by nitrite, accounting for 39.1% of the total reported incidents. The occurrence of food poisoning caused by nitrite has nothing to do with sex and age, and there is no obvious seasonal and geographical distribution. Therefore, most of the poisoning sites are collective canteens and catering units.
There are four common causes of food poisoning caused by nitrite. First, because nitrite is similar to salt in appearance, it is the main cause of poisoning that nitrite is used or eaten as salt by mistake. Second, because many areas in our country have the habit of home-made processed meat products, eating meat products with excessive nitrite will also cause food poisoning. Third, the content of nitrite in vegetables that have been stored for too long, rotted or cooked for too long and just pickled will increase, which may easily lead to poisoning. Fourth, the well water in some areas contains more nitrate (called "bitter well water"). If the rice boiled with this kind of water is stored for too long, nitrate can be reduced to nitrite under the action of bacteria and lead to poisoning.
Therefore, experts suggest that:First, food production and operation enterprises should strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations.When using nitrite, food production and processing enterprises should strictly abide by the relevant provisions of the state, and set up special places for storage, strict labeling and use management. Under the premise of following the relevant standards, effective measures such as raw material control and production norms were taken to reduce the content of nitrite in food.Second, catering service units should strictly abide by relevant regulations and guard against food safety problems.Catering service units should strictly implement the relevant regulations prohibiting the purchase, storage and use of nitrite, especially strictly monitor the production process and storage environmental conditions of cooked meat products, and fundamentally eliminate the possibility of eating by mistake.Third, the regulatory authorities strengthen the management of nitrite production and use.The food safety supervision department should strengthen the supervision of the production and circulation of nitrite, prohibit the catering service units from buying and storing nitrite, and prohibit the use of industrial salt to prevent the occurrence of nitrite food poisoning.Fourth, consumers should strengthen their awareness of self-protection to prevent food poisoning caused by eating nitrite by mistake.Consumers are advised to buy salt sold through formal channels. Pay attention to eating fresh vegetables, and don’t eat vegetables that have been stored for too long or deteriorated. Leftover cooked vegetables should not be stored at high temperature for too long. It is best to cook and eat the food now. Try not to use "bitter well water" for cooking, and avoid long-term storage when it is necessary. In addition, when eating processed meat products, pickles and other foods, foods rich in vitamin C, tea polyphenols and other ingredients can be matched to reduce the toxicity of nitrite that may be contained.