{"id":8924,"date":"2018-03-19T08:30:48","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T06:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carnisostenibili.cvdemo.online\/en\/?p=8924"},"modified":"2018-03-12T18:31:35","modified_gmt":"2018-03-12T16:31:35","slug":"why-cured-meats-contain-salt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/why-cured-meats-contain-salt\/","title":{"rendered":"Why cured meats contain salt?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The practice of adding substances to foods for easy storage<\/strong> is not a chemical or industrial invention, but is an ancient tradition<\/strong>. Some examples are the addition of an acid juice<\/strong> (such as lemon) to prevent the blackening of a vegetable, as well as the use of the smoke<\/strong> from wood, especially ones rich in resin. And, in the specific case of the meat<\/strong>, the use of salt<\/strong>. In fact, the ancient Romans<\/strong> already had observed that saltpetre<\/strong> was improving the production of cured meats and sausages<\/strong>, avoiding the browning of the meat and especially preventing the proliferation of unwanted bacteria.<\/p>\n

Precisely for this reason, in the production of some cured meats <\/strong>are added, in controlled quantities, nitrates and nitrites<\/strong> that, inter alia, have the property of maintaining the colour of meat<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In 2003, the EFSA – European Food Safety Authority<\/strong> explicitly stated in an important counsel to the European Commission <\/strong>that \u201cin most processed meat<\/strong> products the addition of nitrite<\/strong> (or nitrate<\/strong>) is necessary to prevent<\/strong> the development and production of toxins for C. botulinum<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the use of the refrigerator<\/strong> and microbiological knowledge<\/strong>, in addition to compliance with the hygiene<\/strong> rules<\/strong> and to the exploitation of the bacteriostatic properties of spices and herbs such as garlic<\/strong>, pepper and chilli, you can nowadays produce safe cured meat<\/strong> using few preservatives.<\/p>\n

In the DOP<\/strong> hams<\/strong>, for example, the prolonged maturing process<\/strong> makes unnecessary the use of salts<\/strong>, which in fact are no longer used in these products<\/strong>. As for all substances, also in the case of these compounds an excess consumption can lead to negative consequences for health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Although it should be noted that nitrates<\/strong> are a component of many plant foods<\/strong> (lettuce contains 3 grams per kg), the nutritional balance, repeatedly emphasised with the promotion of the Mediterranean Diet<\/strong>, is the way to valorise the benefits of each individual food reducing health risks.<\/p>\n

The Sustainable Meat Project<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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