Bacon Dangerous? More Than You Probably Wanted To Know.

NOTE TO THE READER: It’s almost impossible to discuss food and its preparation these days without getting into history, and business ethics practices. But before you go off half-cocked, know for a certainty that in NO WAY am I opposed to the consumption of pork, nor of bacon, neither of the flesh of any animal. Presumably, because you’re now more curious, you must read further to more precisely determine what is meant by the headline — especially, and particularly if you enjoy bacon.

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Earlier, I had replied to a friend who complained about having eaten “a cheeseburger for lunch and was tired and sleepy for most of the afternoon.”

My initial thought and response was “carbohydrate-induced somnolence,” and I wrote that “the meat patty was the only source of protein in the meal – if all you had was a cheeseburger. If you had fries with them, [that was] more simple carbs.”

Giving a rather simple analogous explanation, I stated that, “the (most likely highly-processed white) bread: Simple carbs – they burn quickly – like a bottle rocket. Up quick, burns out just as quickly.”

And from there, I wrote further about the addition of cheese on the burger, by writing “Cheese: Most likely “American” which is not genuinely cheese.”

From Cheese.com:
“American cheese is processed cheese made from a blend of milk, milk fats and solids, with other fats and whey protein concentrate. At first, it was made from a mixture of cheeses, more often than not Colby and Cheddar. Since blended cheeses are no longer used, it cannot be legally called “cheese” and has to be labelled as “processed cheese,” “cheese product,” etc. Sometimes, instead of the word cheese, it is called “American slices” or “American singles.” Under the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, American cheese is a type of pasteurised processed cheese.”

From TasteOfHome.com:
“… it’s not actually cheese—at least, not legally. The FDA calls it “pasteurized processed American cheese product.” In order for a food product to be a true “cheese,” it has to be more than half cheese, which is technically pressed curds of milk. Each slice of American contains less than 51% curds, which means it doesn’t meet the FDA’s standard.”

And, here’s the Code of Federal Regulations on the matter:
Title 21, Volume 2 — 21CFR133.169 — Revised April 1, 2020.
PART 133 — CHEESES AND RELATED CHEESE PRODUCTS

Subpart B – Requirements for Specific Standardized Cheese and Related Products

Sec. 133.169 Pasteurized process cheese.

Food — it’s production, variety, growing, farming, harvesting, preparation, etc. — is an interest of mine, and like many others, I enjoy not only a good meal, but also have an interest in some understanding about the whys and wherefores of a particular dish’s origins — its history — which also give greater, and a more full understanding to us in numerous ways.

Nitrite-free, dry cured, air dried, pork bellies which will become bacon.
Image by The Elliott Homestead.

For example, the simple, almost ubiquitous dish of beans and rice is a fully complemented dish, meaning that it has a full and complete range of proteins. Beans, by themselves have very little protein, and are primarily carbohydrates, and the same holds true for rice – very little protein, and is primarily a carbohydrate. And the proteins that each separate food has – the rice and the beans – are not “complete” proteins, meaning that individually, they do not contain the 9 essential amino acids which are found in “complete” proteins, and which are necessary in order to build and repair protein tissues (muscles) in the body.

Without exception, ALL animal-based food — regardless of the origin/source — contain complete proteins, and that includes eggs, as well as muscle and organ tissue, though it does not include fat. Fat, however, is never found outside the presence of protein. Fats and proteins could be thought of as “kissing cousins,” because they’re ALWAYS found in combination with each other. They are NEVER apart. Where there’s fat, there’s protein. As an example, consider natural peanut butter — that is, peanut butter which only added ingredient is salt. Peanuts and salt SHOULD BE the ONLY ingredients in peanut butter, and technically, as well as legally, they are, but so many other products are mistakenly called “peanut butter” when they’re actually “peanut butter spread” or something else entirely different.

A simple, even cursory, examination of the labels of Jif®, Skippy®, Peter Pan®,  and other brands – including their websites – demonstrates that in the exceeding majority of cases, their most well-known, and most widely-sold products are NOT authentically genuine peanut butter. Each of those, and others’, products labels and websites state that their products are “peanut butter spreads,” rather than being “peanut butter.”

Peter Pan® brand is manufactured and distributed by Conagra Brands, while Jif® is owned by The J.M. Smucker Company, and Skippy® is owned by Hormel Foods, LLC.

The previous citations were necessary in order to understand what follows, to demonstrate that just because people call a thing by some name, the name by which they call it is not necessarily the proper term. A four-legged animal with hooves and horns could be a bull, a boar, a ram, or a buck, and are all males of the species of cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, and deer. But they’re not females.

And while we’re continuing on the topic of food…

I have come to loathe most commercially-available “bacon.”

Why?

Not only does it taste retched, but also because in the classic, traditional sense, it is NOT bacon.

Yes, it comes from a hog – and not always pork bellies – but the method in which it’s made (“processed,” would be a much more accurate term) bears little resemblance to traditional bacon. Modern “bacon” is flash-smoked, pressure-processed with nitrites, salt-cured, and hustled out the factory door just as quickly as possible in order to continue reaping corporate profits for their Wall$treet masters.

See: USDA Food Safety Inspection Service circular, “How is bacon made?” –and– “What are the methods of curing bacon?” –and– “What are nitrosamines and what cooking methods minimize their formation?” –and– “Can bacon be made without the use of nitrite?”:
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/meat/bacon-and-food-safety

Traditional, original “Old Skool” bacon was/is often smoked in a smokehouse, which not only imparts unique flavor and aroma, but is an important part the preservative curing process – the main intent of which was/is to retard the spoiling process – or turned rancid, the term applied to fats and oils which have spoiled – “spoilage” being oxidation, including discouraging growth of the anaerobic (grows and thrives in an oxygen-free environment) toxic bacteria named botulinum, ingestion of which causes the disease known as botulism. (Think of it as rust for food. And, there actually is a pathogen which emerges upon grains – corn, wheat, rye, etc. – that is called “rust.”)

Today’s hurried and rushed methods of corporate food production are woefully lacking in many regards – including flavor – precisely because of the “shortcuts” used by the Wall$teet-traded firms’ allegiance to their corporate masters, and almost-blinding drive for increased profit and shareholder returns. Perhaps it may, or may not, surprise you to know that at least 85% of the world’s meat supplies, including poultry, are owned and processed by only 4 companies. And that is problematic for several reasons as we’ve come to discover during this Coronavirus Pandemic, and for the fact of ransomware attacks upon the now-highly-concentrated food industry, and particularly meat processors.

Analogously, it’s like “putting all your eggs in one basket.” There are a couple terms for that, one of which is monopoly — only 1 supplier. The others are duopoly — 2 suppliers, and oligopoly — few suppliers. From a market-based philosophical perspective, all 3 conditions are anti-competitive. And if our, or any other nation’s economy, is to thrive, and remain secure — basing its principles of operation upon broad-based competition from many suppliers — then we should reconsider the many events of conglomeration which have and are continuing to occur, not only in the meat and food processing industry, but in many others, as well.

A well-known example of such greed is the sell-out of American pork producer/processor Smithfield Foods to Chinese interests. See the following entries on this site for additional details:

• Wednesday, May 29, 2013 – Smithfield Foods Chinese Pork Project is a Wall Street Happy Meal Deal: American Prices Will Increase

• Sunday, May 3, 2020 – Beef, Pork, Chicken Prices to INCREASE Significantly

• Thursday, May 7, 2020 – 11 States’ Attorneys General Ask DOJ To Investigate Meat Packers’ Price Fixing

• Sunday, September 13, 2020 – OSHA Fines Chinese-Owned Smithfield Foods For Causing Employees’ COVID-19 Infection

• Friday, January 29, 2021 – The Chinese Own Smithfield, And Germans Own Krispy Kreme. Which American Corporation Will Sell Out Next??

Of course, there’s also the daily news:

• June 30, 2021 5:09 PM CDT – Smithfield Foods To Pay $83 Mln To Settle Pork Price-Fixing Claims

“June 30 (Reuters) – Smithfield Foods Inc (SFII.UL) said on Wednesday it will pay $83 million to settle litigation that accused several companies of conspiring to limit supply in the $20 billion-a-year U.S. pork market to inflate prices and their own profits.

“The settlement with Smithfield resolves antitrust claims by “direct” purchasers such as Maplevale Farms that accused the nation’s largest pork companies of having fixed prices beginning in 2009.

“Keira Lombardo, Smithfield’s chief administrative officer, said the settlement eliminates a “substantial portion” of the Smithfield, Virginia-based company’s exposure in the litigation.

“She also said Smithfield denied liability in agreeing to settle, and believed its conduct was always lawful.

“Smithfield’s parent WH Group Ltd (0288.HK) says it is the world’s largest pork producer.

“Hormel Foods Corp (HRL.N), the JBS USA unit of Brazil’s JBS SA (JBSS3.SA), Tyson Foods Inc (TSN.N) and data provider Agri Stats Inc are among the other defendants in the litigation.

“Smithfield and those companies are also defendants in related price-fixing litigation in Minneapolis by commercial and other “indirect” pork purchasers, such as restaurants and delis.

“The litigation is similar to litigation in federal court in Chicago where purchasers accused companies such as Tyson, Perdue Farms Inc and JBS’ majority-owned Pilgrim’s Pride Corp (PPC.O) of conspiring to fix broiler chicken prices.

“The case is In re Pork Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, No. 18-01776.”

• Published November 6, 2020; Updated June 30 2021, 15:41 CDT – Smithfield Foods Will Pay $83M To Settle Pork Price-Fixing Claims

A Sad Day In Hamtown: Smithfield Foods Closes The Only Smokehouse Making Genuine Smithfield Ham
July 20, 2018 at 4:42 p.m. CDT
“The salty, long-cured ham has been an area staple since the English colonists and their hogs arrived at nearby Jamestown in the early 1600s. There is a whole section of Virginia State Code — Title 3.2, Chapter 54, Article 4 — entitled “Smithfield Hams.” Just as the French define Champagne and the European Union protects Greek Feta cheese, Virginia law dictates that genuine Smithfield ham is cured in Smithfield.

“Anybody can make a ham,” said Jennifer England, director of the local museum, where pig fanciers can keep tabs on a ham cured in 1902 via the online “Ham Cam.” “But a Smithfield ham can only come from within the town itself.”

“Smokehouses once sat cheek by jowl, so to speak, in the little town, but local ham producers have been consolidating for years. Names like Gwaltney, Luter and Todd — a roll call that can make an old Virginian’s mouth start to water — were absorbed into the giant Smithfield Foods, which itself was purchased five years ago by the Chinese conglomerate Shuanghui Group, now known as WH Group.

“A Smithfield ham is long-cut, with loin attached. Most country hams are short-cut. Old-timers will tell you the curing process — high in the smokehouse rafters over a long, sweltering summer — creates particular amino acids and salt deposits as the moisture disappears from the meat.

“But it’s more than that. It is history and culture in food form. The first English settlers salted hams to preserve them; the Native Americans showed them how to smoke meats. A Smithfield ham is the result of both. Paired with a biscuit, served with Brunswick stew or peanut soup, finished with chocolate chess pie — that’s southside Virginia, the sandy soil, the pine trees, the hot, flat peanut fields.

“Originally, a hog destined for a Smithfield ham was turned loose on harvested peanut fields to glean the remainders. The peanut oils infused the meat. As hog farming grew in scale in the mid-20th century, though, the requirement that Smithfield hams be peanut-fed was removed from state law.

“Creating a Smithfield ham takes commitment. The cut hams are coated in salt and left to cure for more than a month; hung in a smokehouse and smoked for up to a week, until the color looks right; then left to hang and age for six months or more.

“Cooking a Smithfield ham is a ritual of its own, often caught up with Thanksgiving or Christmas memories, the salty meat soaking for a day or more before being washed and cooked and sliced tissue-thin.

““The tourists come in looking for it specifically,” said Leigh Abbott, General Manager of the Smithfield Inn, which dates to 1752. “I think the locals get a little tapped out on it. Though bacon unites everybody.”

Across the street from the inn, a genuine Smithfield ham can cost from $150 to $200 at the Taste of Smithfield restaurant and store.

At a crossroads among the cotton fields of Isle of Wight County, Tommy Darden carries on the tradition at his Darden’s Country Store.

“My daddy, he [cured hams] most all his life,” Darden, 71, said. He and his wife keep a smokehouse across the street. They buy fresh-cut hams from Smithfield foods then cure and smoke them by hand.

“Darden has 950 hams hanging in his smokehouse. He salted them in February, hung them in mid-March. They dangle from the dark rafters like props in a Renaissance painting, the surfaces rough with salt, the air pungent and rich. They were ready to cut down and cook on the Fourth of July.”

The “World’s Oldest Edible Ham” was cured July 7, 1902 by Smithfield, VA local pork processor, Pembroke D. Gwaltney, Jr. The ham was misplaced and forgotten until several decades later. When it was discovered, it was still in perfectly edible condition. As a result, Gwaltney’s ability to preserve meat without refrigeration earned his enduring admiration by others, and his company was later purchased by Smithfield Foods.

And here’s but one deception about bacon processing: Nitrite, which is converted to nitric acid, is used to “cure” modern bacon. Nitrates, if they’re used (NOTE: Since 1995, “commercially, nitrate is no longer allowed for use in curing of smoked and cooked meats, non-smoked and cooked meats, or sausages (US FDA 1999),” is prohibited in the USA. See below, University of Georgia, “Curing and Smoking Meat for Home Preservation,” 2.3.4 “Saltpeter, Sodium or Potassium Nitrate”), must be converted into nitrites in order to “cure” modern bacon – which is accomplished by exposure to an enzyme from bacteria. Enzymes are found in proteins. Proteins are unique because they contain nitrogen. That’s relatively simple, because when proteins are exposed to nitrites, it’s converted to nitric acid.

There are laws limiting how much nitrites can be added to foods, such as bacon. In recent history, nitrites are obtained from celery powder, or other foods, because it can be easily processed out from it. That process was developed circa 1990’s. However, nitrite is still nitrite, regardless of the source. Yet, because nitrite used in “curing” modern bacon comes from a vegetable source, it’s unregulated. And thus, food processors are legally unbound, and therefore free, to use as much nitrite in that “curing” process as makes them happy.

Why hasn’t the FDA addressed that concern?

The FDA states that “curing agents are specifically defined in 9 CFR 424.21(c) as limited to sodium or potassium nitrate or sodium or potassium nitrite from synthetic sources.” That rule, of course, was written long before 1990, when celery powder began to be used to “cure bacon.” (See also: “Use of Celery Powder and Other Natural Sources of Nitrite as Curing Agents, Antimicrobials or Flavorings“)

So, EVEN IF a package of bacon states on the label that it’s “uncured” it’s deceptive advertising… just as much as claiming that there’s a product called “American cheese.”

The reason why sodium nitrite was considered being banned in the USA in the 1970’s was because of studies done on rodents that found significantly increased incidents of cancers in rodents exposed to sodium nitrite. And when nitrites are exposed to heat — such as through cooking (frying bacon) — nitrites are converted to nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic.

And “YES,” there ARE genuinely uncured meats available for sale. They just don’t look as “appetizing” or “appealing” per se, as meats exposed to, or “cured” with nitrites or celery powder, because they have a grayish appearance, rather than pink, or red – which is a characteristic of meats exposed to nitrites. That’s because “sodium nitrite produces the pink color (nitrosohemoglobin – “a compound formed by the binding of nitric oxide with hemoglobin [red blood cells, which carry oxygen]; release and uptake of the nitric oxide group produce changes in vascular resistance and blood flow, which assist in oxygen homeostasis.”) in cured bacon.”

Bacon cured with celery powder or products is required to have labeling that states there are no nitrites added, qualified by the statement “except for those naturally occurring in [name of natural source of nitrite such as celery powder, or whatever ingredient they use to cure it]” in order to not be considered to be misbranded due to false and misleading labeling. But that’s the tiny print, which very few read, anyway.

Dry cured, nitrite-free pork belly (to be made into bacon) made at home.
Image by Yellow Birch Hobby Farm.

I write this in part, because I some time earlier, I had purchased some bacon, and found it to be quite retched, and gave the remainder of it to my dog.

 

Now, for THE GOOD PART!

There is a small “hometown” local grocer where TRUE, AUTHENTIC non-nitrite cured bacon is sold. I think it’s most likely dry cured and smoked. I found it wrapped in paper, and hanging in the open, above a meat case/refrigerator, and some time ago, I purchased some of it. I asked for it to be cut thickly – about 6mm. It was PERFECT!

Now, if you’re in the “I-want-to-make-my-own-homemade” category, here’s some additional information for you from the University of Georgia’s National Center for Home Food Preservation Guide and Literature Review Series: Smoking and Curing — Curing and Smoking Meats for Home Food Preservation; Literature Review and Critical Preservation Points.

Take particular note of this statement under the 2.2 category heading entitled “Nitrate/Nitrite Curing”: “Several published studies indicated that N-nitrosoamines were considered carcinogenic in animals. For this reason, nitrate is prohibited in bacon and the nitrite concentration is limited in other cured meats. In other cured foods, there is insufficient scientific evidence for N-nitrosamine formation and a link to cancer (Pariza 1997).”

The reader should bear in mind the information previously shared previously in this entry regarding nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines. One such “make your own bacon at home” without nitrates foodie wrote this in part about “modern bacon”:

“Let me take a moment to bitch about modern “bacon”. They inject a brine of salt, sugar, nitrates, nitrites, some smoke flavor, and who knows what else into pork bellies with hundreds of tiny needles. They let it “cure” for a couple of hours, and then package it up. That is that, enough said.”

As well, there is this information about “pumping” from Texas A&M University in their “Fundamentals of Meat Curing” class under the “Application of cure ingredients” heading:

Curing — the addition of salt, sugar and nitrite or nitrate for the purposes of preservation, flavor and color.

Functions:

Salt

• Flavor
• Antimicrobial
• Enhances cure transport through meat

Sugar

• Flavor
• Counteracts harshness of salt
• Energy for bacteria that change NO₃ —> NO₂

Nitrite or nitrate

• Flavor
• Prevents warmed-over flavor
• Retards rancidity
• Cured-pink color
• Anti-botulinal effect

The curing reaction

Myoglobin + nitric oxide –> nitric oxide myoglobin + heat –> nitrosyl hemochromogen

Generation of nitric oxide (NO)

Sodium nitrate (NaNO₃) + Micrococcus aurantiacus –> sodium nitrite (NaNO₂)

Sodium nitrite (NaNO₂) + glucono delta lactone (GDL) –> nitrous acid (HONO)

Nitrous acid (HONO) + ascorbates and/or erythorbates –> nitric oxide (NO)

Present-day ingredients for “uncured” meats

• Celery powder – natural source of nitrates/nitrites
• Cherry powder – natural source of Vitamin C and used to speed up the curing reaction

Application of cure ingredients

Dry curing — the oldest way of curing meats. Curing ingredients are rubbed on the surface of the meat to be cured.

Stitch pumping — a long needle with multiple holes around the shaft is used. Needle is inserted into meat and the curing solution (in water) is pumped into the product.

Artery injection — a large needle with only one hole in it is inserted into the brachial or femoral artery and the cure solution is injected into the arterial system.

Needle injection — a machine with multiple needles that injects, automatically, meat cuts with the curing solution. The most common way meat is cured today.

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The following information is from the University of Georgia.

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2. Curing Foods

Curing is the addition to meats of some combination of salt, sugar, nitrite and/or nitrate for the purposes of preservation, flavor and color. Some publications distinguish the use of salt alone as salting, corning or salt curingand reserve the word curing for the use of salt with nitrates/nitrites. The cure ingredients can be rubbed on to the food surface, mixed into foods dry (dry curing), or dissolved in water (brine, wet, or pickle curing). In the latter processes, the food is submerged in the brine until completely covered. With large cuts of meat, brine may also be injected into the muscle. The term pickle in curing has been used to mean any brine solution or a brine cure solution that has sugar added.

2.1. Salting / Corning

Salt inhibits microbial growth by plasmolysis. In other words, water is drawn out of the microbial cell by osmosis due to the higher concentration of salt outside the cell. A cell loses water until it reaches a state first where it cannot grow and cannot survive any longer. The concentration of salt outside of a microorganism needed to inhibit growth by plasmolysis depends on the genus and species of the microorganism. The growth of some bacteria is inhibited by salt concentrations as low as 3%, e.g., Salmonella, whereas other types are able to survive in much higher salt concentrations, e.g., up to 20% salt for Staphylococcus or up to 12% salt for Listeria monocytogenes (Table 5.3.). Fortunately the growth of many undesirable organisms normally found in cured meat and poultry products is inhibited at relatively low concentrations of salt (USDA FSIS 1997a).

Salting can be accomplished by adding salt dry or in brine to meats. Dry salting, also called corning originated in Anglo-Saxon cultures. Meat was dry-cured with coarse “corns” or pellets of salt. Corned beef of Irish fame is made from a beef brisket, although any cut of meat can be corned. Salt brine curing involves the creation of brine containing salt, water and other ingredients such as sugar, erythorbate, or nitrites. Age-old tradition was to add salt to the brine until it floated an egg. Today, however, it is preferred to use a hydrometer or to carefully mix measured ingredients from a reliable recipe. Once mixed and placed into a suitable container, the food is submerged in the salt brine. Brine curing usually produces an end product that is less salty compared to dry curing. Injection of brine into the meat can also speed the curing process.

2.2. Nitrate/ Nitrite Curing

Most salt cures do not contain sufficient levels of salt to preserve meats at room temperature and Clostridium botulinum spores can survive. In the early 1800’s it was realized that saltpeter (NaNO₃ or KNO₃) present in some impure curing salt mixtures would result in pink colored meat rather than the typical gray color attained with a plain salt cure. This nitrate/nitrite in the curing process was found to inhibit growth of Clostridium. Recent evidence indicates that they may also inhibit E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter if in sufficient quantities (Condon 1999, Doyle 1999).

Several published studies indicated that N-nitrosoamines were considered carcinogenic in animals. For this reason, nitrate is prohibited in bacon and the nitrite concentration is limited in other cured meats. In other cured foods, there is insufficient scientific evidence for N-nitrosamine formation and a link to cancer (Pariza 1997).

For more information, please refer to the following resources:

1. Examination of Dietary Recommendations for Salt-Cured, Smoked, and Nitrite-Preserved Foods (Pariza 1997).
2. Nitrite in Meat (Epley et al.1992).
3. Safety of Cured Pork Products (Cassens 2001).

2.3. Cure Mixtures

For the home food preserver, measuring small batches of cure for nitrites or nitrates would require an analytical scale that few consumers have access to. Therefore, some manufacturers sell premixed salt and nitrate/nitrite curing mixes for easy home use. Caution is needed when using pure saltpeter instead of commercially prepared mixes, since accidental substitution of saltpeter for table salt in recipes can result in lethal toxic levels (Borchert and Cassens 1998).

Some examples of commercially prepared cures include:

2.3.1. Prague Powder #1, Insta Cure, or Modern Cure.

This cure contains sodium nitrite (6.25%) mixed with salt (93.75%). Consumers are recommended to use 1 oz. for every 25 lb. of meat or one level teaspoon of cure for 5 lb. of meat.

2.3.2. Prague Powder #2

This mix is used for dry cured meats that require long (weeks to months) cures. It contains 1 oz. of sodium nitrite and 0.64 oz. of sodium nitrate. It is recommended that this cure be combined with each 1 lb. of salt and for products that do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration. This cure, which contains sodium nitrate, acts like a time-release cure, slowly breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. The manufacturer recommends using 1 oz. of cure for 25 lbs. of meat or one level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat.

2.3.3. Mixes

Many individual manufacturers and commercial sausage makers produce curing mixtures, often combining sugar and spices with the salt and nitrite/nitrates. It is important that consumers follow manufacturer directions carefully.

For more information, please refer to the following products, companies, and available resources:

1. Morton Salt Meat Curing Products (Morton Salt Co. 2001). Their products include Tender Quick, Sugar Cure, and Smoke Flavored Sugar Cure.
2. Curing Products (Mandeville Co. 2001). Their products include Poultry Cure, Quick Cure, Golden Cure, Complete Cure, Maple Flavor Cure, and Myco Pickle.

2.3.4. Saltpeter, Sodium or Potassium Nitrate

Commercially, nitrate is no longer allowed for use in curing of smoked and cooked meats, non-smoked and cooked meats, or sausages (US FDA 1999). However, nitrate is still allowed in small amounts in the making of dry cured uncooked products. Home food preservers should avoid the direct use of this chemical and opt for the mixtures described above.

2.4. Combination Curing

Some current recipes for curing have vinegar, citrus juice, or alcohol as ingredients for flavor. Addition of these chemicals in sufficient quantities can contribute to the preservation of the food being cured.

2.5. Flavor of Cured Meats

Besides preservation, the process of curing introduces both a desired flavor and color. Cured meat flavor is thought to be a composite result of the flavors of the curing agents and those developed by bacterial and enzymatic action.

2.5.1 Salt

Because of the amount of salt used in most curing processes, the salt flavor is the most predominant.

2.5.2. Sugar

Sugar is a minor part of the composite flavor, with bacon being an exception. Because of the tremendous amount of salt used, sugar serves to reduce the harshness of the salt in cured meat and enhance the sweetness of the product (ie. Sweet Lebanon Bologna). Sugar also serves as a nutrient source for the flavor-producing bacteria of meat during long curing processes.

2.5.3. Spices and Flavor Enhancers

Spices add characteristic flavors to the meats. Recent studies have suggested that some spices can have added preservative effects (Doyle 1999). However, the quantities of spice needed to achieve these effects may be well beyond the reasonable quantities of use.

2.5.4. Nitrates/Nitrites

Nitrites and nitrate conversion to nitrite provide the characteristic cured flavor and color (see below).

2.5.5. Fermentation

The tangy flavor observed in dry fermented sausages, such as pepperoni, is the result of bacterial fermentation or the addition of chemicals such as glucono-δ(delta)-lactone.

2.5.6. Smoking

The process of smoking gives the product the characteristic smoky flavor that can be varied slightly with cure recipes and types of smoke used.

2.6. Color of Cured Meats

A high concentration of salt promotes the formation of an unattractive gray color within some meat. Nitrate when used for some dry-cured, non-cooked meats is reduced to nitrite then to nitric oxide, which reacts with myoglobin (muscle pigment) to produce the red or pink cured color. If nitrite is used as the curing agent, there is no need for the nitrate reduction step, and the development of the cure color is much more rapid.

Generation of Nitric Oxide (NO):

	(1)		(2)		(3)
NaNO3	—–>	NaNO2	—–>	HONO	—–>	NO

 

1. Sodium nitrate is reduced to sodium nitrite by microorganisms such as Micrococcus spp. present on meats.
2. Sodium nitrite is reduced to nitrous acid in the presence of an acidic environment (e.g., by fermentation or by addition of glucono-δ(delta)-lactone).
3. Nitrous acid forms nitric oxide. Nitric oxide reacts with myoglobin (meat pigments) to form a red color.

The time required for a cured color to develop may be shortened with the use of cure accelerators, e.g., ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid, or their derivatives. Cure accelerators tend to speed up chemical conversion of nitric acid to nitric oxide. They also serve as oxygen scavengers, which slow the fading of the cured meat color in the presence of sunlight and oxygen. Some studies have indicated that cure accelerators have antimicrobial properties, especially for the newly emerging pathogens like E. coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes (Doyle 1999). Since cure accelerators are rarely used in home curing, this information needs further review or research to determine what benefits home curing would have by using certain cure accelerators.

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The following information is from the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) circular entitled “Bacon and Food Safety” available through Utah State University:

The term “bacon” is used to describe the cured belly of a swine (hog) carcass. If meat from other portions of the carcass is used, the product name must identify the portions where the bacon comes from, e.g., “Pork Shoulder Bacon.” Bacon is generally produced from young animals (6 to 7 months old) that weigh between 175 to 240 pounds.

Pork bacon without any other descriptors is raw (uncooked) and must be cooked before eating. Most bacon sold in the United States is “streaky” bacon, long narrow slices cut crosswise from the hog belly that contain veins of pink meat within white fat. Unless otherwise noted, the information in this publication refers to “streaky” bacon.

In addition to “streaky” bacon, other U.S. favorites are American-style Canadian bacon (round slices of pink meat from the loin), turkey bacon made from light and dark turkey meat, and beef bacon prepared from various beef cuts. See the “Glossary of Bacon Terms” (found at the end of this publication) for definitions.

Several steps are involved in producing sliced bacon. First each pork belly is skinned and any ragged edges trimmed. After curing with salt and nitrite, the pork bellies are heat processed. Mass-produced bacon is heat processed in large convection ovens. It is much faster to mass produce bacon using a convection oven (as little as 6 hours) than by traditional smoking (many days).

Bacon receives its smoke flavor from natural smoke obtained by smoldering wood chips or by spraying the bacon with a liquid smoke extract.

After heat processing and smoking, the bacon must be chilled to below 40 °F before it is sliced. The majority of bacon is sliced before packaging. Because of the added salt and nitrite, bacon is far less perishable than other raw meat products. Even so, the chilling is done quickly to prevent bacterial growth and promote its shelf-life.

According to FSIS regulations, the weight of cured pork bellies that are ready for slicing and labeling as “bacon” shall not exceed the weight of the fresh, uncured pork bellies.

There are two primary methods of curing bacon: Pumping and dry curing. Although less frequently used, FSIS still receives label applications for immersion-cured bacon.

“Pumped” bacon has curing ingredients that are injected directly into the meat to speed up the curing process and add bulk. This type of mass-produced bacon is held for curing for 6 to 24 hours before being heated. If not properly drained, pumped bacon can exude white liquid during frying.

“Dry-cured” bacon has a premeasured amount of cure mixture applied or rubbed onto the bacon belly surfaces, completely covering them. Additional cure may be rubbed in over a number of days, but the amount of added sodium nitrite cannot exceed 200 parts per million (ppm). After the curing phase, the bacon may be left to hang for up to 2 weeks in order for the moisture to be drawn out. Less time is needed if it is going to be smoked. Because of the lengthy processing time and labor required, dry-cured bacon is more expensive than the more mass-produced, pumped bacon.

“Immersion-cured” bacon is placed in a brine solution containing salt, nitrite, and flavoring material or in a container with salt, nitrite, and flavoring material for 2 to 3 days. Sugar, honey, or maple syrup may be added to the brine. The meat must then be left to hang until it is cured.Yes, you can make bacon at home. For instructions, contact your local Extension Office or visit: http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/ansci/g02528.htm

To make bacon safe to store at room temperature (shelf stable), it is precooked in the plant to have a water activity at or below 0.85 to control Staphylococcus aureus. The cooked yield is 40% of the raw weight.

“Bacon” can only be made from pork bellies, which are red meat by definition. Pork is classified as “livestock,” and all livestock are considered “red meat.” Bacon can also be made from other species of livestock (e.g., beef) and poultry (e.g., turkey). These types of bacon products require a descriptive name such as, “Beef Bacon-Cured and Smoked Beef Plate” and “Turkey Bacon-Cured Turkey Thigh Meat.”

Salt pork is not bacon. Although it is salted, it is much fattier, and, unlike bacon, it is not smoked. It is generally cut from the hog’s belly or side. Because salt pork is so salty, cooks often blanch or soak it to extract some of the salt before using.

Yes, bacon contains additives. Bacon is made with salt as a curing agent, and nitrite (but not nitrate) is the other most frequently used additive. Bacon may also contain other additives such as sugars, maple sugar, wood smoke, flavorings, and spices.

Pumped bacon (see above) must also contain either ascorbate or sodium erythorbate (isoascorbate), which greatly reduces the formation of nitrosamines by accelerating the reaction of nitrite with the meat.

At certain levels, salt prevents the growth of some types of bacteria that spoil meat. Salt prevents bacterial growth either by directly inhibiting it or by its drying effect. Most bacteria require substantial amounts of moisture to live and grow.

Sodium nitrite produces the pink color (nitrosohemoglobin) in cured bacon. Nitrite also greatly delays the development of the Clostridium botulinum toxin (botulism); develops a cured-meat flavor; retards the development of rancidity, off-odors, and off-flavors during storage; and inhibits the development of a warmed-over flavor.

Sugar is added to reduce the harshness of salt. Spices and other flavorings are often added to achieve a characteristic “brand” flavor. Most, but not all, cured meat products are smoked after the curing process to impart a smoked meat flavor.

Under certain conditions not yet fully understood, the products from the natural breakdown of proteins known as “amines” can combine with nitrites to form compounds known as “nitrosamines.” There are many different types of nitrosamines, most of which are known carcinogens in test animals.

Not all cured meat products contain nitrosamines; however, when present, they usually are in very minute amounts. Many variables influence nitrosamine levels: amount of nitrite added during processing, concentrations of amines in meat, type and amounts of other ingredients used in processing, actual processing conditions, length of storage, storage temperatures, method of cooking, and degree of doneness.

Researchers at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) found that the addition of vitamin C (also known as ascorbate) and vitamin E (also known as tocopherol) reduced the levels of nitrosamines in fried bacon and in nitrite-cured products. The findings led to changes in Federal regulations and industry processing to minimize consumer exposure to nitrosamines. USDA now requires adding 550 ppm (parts per million) of either sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate to pumped bacon. This addition greatly reduces the amount of free nitrite and, thus, minimizes the formation of nitrosamines. This regulation is found in 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 424.22 (b)(1).

A bacon cooking study, “Effect of Frying and Other Cooking Conditions on Nitrosopyrrolidine Formation in Bacon” (Journal of Science, Vol. 39, pages 314-316), showed no evidence of nitrosamines in bacon fried at 210 °F for 10 minutes (raw), 210 °F for 15 minutes (medium well), 275 °F for 10 minutes (very light), or 275 °F for 30 minutes (medium well). But when bacon was fried at 350 °F for 6 minutes (medium well), 400 °F for 4 minutes (medium well), or 400 °F for 10 minutes (burned), some nitrosamines were found. Thus, well-done or burned bacon is potentially more hazardous than less well-done bacon. Also, bacon cooked by a microwave has less nitrosamine than fried bacon.

The USDA is responsible for monitoring the proper use of nitrite by meat processors. While sodium nitrite cannot exceed 200 ppm going into dry-cured bacon, sodium nitrite cannot exceed 120 ppm for both pumped and immersion-cured bacon.

Bacon can be manufactured without the use of nitrite, but must be labeled “Uncured Bacon, No Nitrates or Nitrites added” and bear the statement “Not Preserved, Keep Refrigerated Below 40 °F At All Times” — unless the final product has been dried according to USDA regulations, or if the product contains an amount of salt sufficient to achieve an internal brine concentration of 10% or more, the label does not have to carry the handle statement of “Not Preserved, Keep Refrigerated below ___” etc. Recent research studies have shown for products labeled as uncured, certain ingredients added during formulation can naturally produce small amounts of nitrates in bacon and, therefore, have to be labeled with the explanatory statement “no nitrates or nitrites added except for those naturally occurring in ingredients such as celery juice powder, parsley, cherry powder, beet powder, spinach, sea salt etc.”

All bacon found in retail stores is either USDA inspected for wholesomeness or inspected by State systems that have standards equal to the Federal government. Each animal, from which the bacon is made, is inspected for signs of disease. The “Inspected and Passed by USDA” seal ensures the bacon is wholesome.

Bacon is not graded.

No hormones are used in the raising of hogs. Hormones are not permitted in pork by Federal regulations; therefore, bacon cannot have added hormones.

Antibiotics may be given to prevent or treat disease in hogs. A “withdrawal” period is required from the time antibiotics are administered until it is legal to slaughter the animal. This is so residues can exit the animal’s system and won’t be in the meat.

FSIS randomly samples pork at slaughter and tests for residues. Data from this monitoring program have shown a very low percentage of residue violations.

Pork, like other raw animal muscle foods, frequently contains bacterial pathogens. Some other foodborne pathogenic microorganisms that can be found in pork, as well as other meats and poultry, are Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Toxoplasmosis gondii, Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitica, and
Listeria monocytogenes. They all can be destroyed by cooking.

Humans may contract trichinosis (caused by the parasite, Trichinella spiralis) by eating undercooked pork. Much progress has been made in reducing trichinosis in grain-fed hogs, and cases in humans have greatly declined since 1950.

Yes, bacon can be labeled as “natural” if the bacon is “uncured.” This means the bacon does not contain nitrites or nitrates as direct additive curing agents. Therefore, the bacon would meet the definition for “natural” (minimally processed, no artificial ingredients) and can be labeled as “Natural* Uncured Bacon (No Nitrates or Nitrites Added, Not Preserved, Keep Below 40 °F At All Times), *Minimally Processed, No Artificial Ingredients.”