Color protection agent

Color-protecting agent, also known as hair coloring agent, is a substance that can interact with coloring substances in meat and meat products so as not to be decomposed and destroyed during food processing and preservation, and exhibits good color. This is mainly due to the combination of nitric oxide produced by nitrite with myoglobin and hemoglobin in meat to produce a bright red nitroso-myoglobin and nitrosyl hemoglobin. Nitrate needs to be reduced by bacteria to form nitrite in food processing. During the meat pickling process, the nitrate is reduced to nitrite under the action of nitrite bacteria, and nitrite forms nitrous acid under certain acidic conditions. Generally, the meat after slaughtering and aging contains lactic acid, and the pH is in the range of 5.6 to 5.8, so that nitrous acid can be formed without external acid. Nitrous acid is very unstable, and nitroso can be produced even at normal temperature. Once this nitroso is formed, it quickly reacts with myoglobin in muscle tissue to produce a bright, bright red nitroso myoglobin. When nitroso-myoglobin is heated, it releases thiol (sulfhydryl). The bright red color of the nitroso-colored blood. This bright red color is the final color of the finished meat product. Some products are pinked with starch or other ingredients in the production process, and canned pork can be one of them. Nitrite has certain toxicity, especially with the formation of strong carcinogen nitrosamines with amines, so people have been trying to choose a suitable substance instead. However, in addition to its color protection, it can be preserved, especially inhibiting Clostridium botulinum to prevent botulism, and has the effect of enhancing the flavor of meat products. Up to now, there have been no substitutes that can both protect color and inhibit bacteria, and enhance the flavor of meat products. Weigh the pros and cons, and all countries strictly control their use under the premise of ensuring safety and product quality. Since ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid, nicotinamide and the like can promote color protection (color retention aid), and ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol can inhibit the formation of nitrosamines, so they are often used together with color protection agents. The meat cans produced in China are now free of nitrates and only nitrite. This can greatly reduce the residual amount of nitrite in the product while ensuring the quality of the finished product such as color, fragrance, taste and texture. The color-protecting agents approved for use in China are sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate and potassium nitrite.