Determinação de nitritos em amostras de jerked beef utilizando a espectrofotometria de absorção molecular

Abstract

Jerked Beef is an industrialized meat product, classified by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture as salted, cured and dried beef. Curing salts, such as sodium nitrite, are used in its processing, subjected to a process of maturation and desiccation. Sodium nitrite is a compound used as a food additive widely used in meat products due to its preservative action and its ability to impact desirable characteristics to these foods, such as aroma, color and flavor. Despite this, this compound is the subject of great concern because it is reactive and unstable, being able to cause the formation of nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic compounds, from the chemical reaction between nitrite and secondary amines present in meat. In addition, nitrite is associated with methemoglobinemia mainly in children, it acts together with hemoglobin, where it oxidizes iron to the ferric state, preventing hemoglobin from performing its normal function in transporting oxygen. The present study aimed to evaluate the concentration of residual sodium nitrite using molecular absorption spectrophotometry in Jerked Beef samples from three different brands from commercial establishments in the city of Natal/RN. The quantification of the samples, carried out in duplicate, showed concentrations of sodium nitrite between 1.85 and 5.67 ppm or mg/kg, below the Maximum Tolerable Limit (LMT) of 150 mg/kg established by the Brazilian Legislation.