ABSTRACT
The coloring efficacy of cooked cured meat pigment (CCMP), as part of a composite nitrite-free curing package, has been tested in the meat from a number of species, but mostly for pork. It was only when the two sets of samples were examined under bright daylight that the nitrite-free cured sample was discovered to be slightly redder and darker in appearance. These two studies suggest, for the most part, that it is possible to prepare nitrite-free cured meat products without seriously compromising their flavor. Unlike nitrite-containing pickles, nitrite-free ones with CCMP or powdered cooked cured meat pigment (PCCMP) are more sensitive to oxidation and therefore need to be prepared in a special manner just before injecting it into pieces of meat. All nitrite-free cured meat products must contain CCMP or PCCMP for proper color fixation and an antioxidant or sequestrant system for protection of meat lipids against oxidation, but not necessarily an antimicrobial agent.
