New ground-breaking research to be published next week

The ongoing work to reduce nitrites in cured pork products is one that the British meat industry is actively engaged in. Working with the latest scientific research, our producers have, over several years, been implementing new methods to get nitrite use as low as possible without jeopardising public health.

The latest evolution of this scientific research, due to be published on Tuesday 12 July, goes further than any previous studies. It comes from the Institut du Porc along with Les Enterprises Francaises De Charcuterie Traiteur who conducted new trials using a laboratory simulation of a human stomach to discover the optimal levels of nitrates and nitrites in meat products that both provide safety against harmful pathogens like Clostridium Botulinum and Listeria, but that limit the potentially harmful side effects in the digestive process.

It’s the first time such a detailed simulation of a human stomach has been used to test this and it shows exactly how these foods are broken down and what happens to the nitrites they contain across numerous different products and concentrations.