Are hot dogs healthier without added nitrites?

In this Wednesday, June 28, 2017, photo, Oscar Mayer classic uncured wieners are for sale at a grocery store in New York. Oscar Mayer is touting its new hot dog recipe that uses nitrite derived from celery juice instead of artificial sodium nitrite, which is used to preserve the pinkish colors of processed meats and prevents botulism. Kraft Heinz, which owns Oscar Mayer, says sodium nitrite is among the artificial ingredients it has removed from the product to reflect changing consumer preferences. The change comes amid a broader trend of big food makers purging ingredients that people may feel are not natural. (AP Photo/Candice Choi)

Backyard cooks looking to grill this summer have another choice : hot dogs without “ add nitrites. ”
Are they any healthier ?
Oscar Mayer is touting its raw hot dog recipe that uses nitrite derived from celery juice rather of artificial sodium nitrite, which is used to preserve the pink colors of refined meats and prevents botulism. Kraft Heinz, which owns Oscar Mayer, says sodium nitrite is among the artificial ingredients it has removed from the merchandise to reflect changing consumer preferences. The change comes amid a broader drift of big food makers purging ingredients that people may feel are not natural.

But nitrites are nitrites—and the change makes little difference—according to those who advise limiting processed kernel and those who defend it .
Kana Wu, a research scientist at Harvard ‘s school of public health, said in an electronic mail that it is best to think of refined kernel made with natural ingredients the like as those made with artificial nitrites .
Wu was part of a group that helped draft the World Health Organization report in 2015 that said processed meats such as hot dogs and bacon were linked to an increased risk of colon cancer. She notes WHO did not pinpoint what precisely about processed meats might be to blame for the link .
One concern about processed meats is that nitrites can combine with compounds found in meat at high gear temperatures to fuel the formation of nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens in animals. It ‘s a chemical reaction that can happen careless of the source of the nitrites, including celery juice .
But the U.S. Department of Agriculture caps the amount of artificial nitrites that can be added to meats to prevent excessive use, said Andrew Milkowski, a retire Oscar Mayer scientist who consults for the kernel industry. meat makers besides add ingredients to serve meat like bacon that aid block the formation of nitrosamines, he said .
Though the terms nitrates and nitrites are used interchangeably, the meat industry says it ‘s chiefly sodium nitrite that companies presently use to cure meats such as blistering dogs, cold cuts and bacon .
For Oscar Mayer hot dogs, the packages immediately list ingredients like celery juice that has been treated with bacterial acculturation. That turns the naturally occurring nitrates in celery juice into nitrites that serve a exchangeable purpose .

This Wednesday, June 28, 2017, photo, shows the ingredients and nutrition label on a package of Oscar Mayer classic uncured wieners for sale at a grocery store in New York. The label lists cultured celery juice as an ingredient. Oscar Mayer is touting its new hot dog recipe that uses nitrite derived from celery juice instead of artificial sodium nitrite, which is used to preserve the pinkish colors of processed meats and prevents botulism. Kraft Heinz, which owns Oscar Mayer, says sodium nitrite is among the artificial ingredients it has removed from the product to reflect changing consumer preferences. The change comes amid a broader trend of big food makers purging ingredients that people may feel are not natural. (AP Photo/Candice Choi)

While the nitrites derived from celery juice are no better, the switch may nevertheless aid address negative consumer perceptions, said Milkowski, who besides teaches at the University of Wisconsin ‘s department of animal sciences.

The Center for Science in the public Interest agrees nitrites from natural sources are n’t that different from artificial nitrites in refined meats. But the group has cited the WHO report in calling for a cancer warning pronounce on march meats, careless of how they ‘re made. It besides says nitrite -preserved foods tend to be gamey in salt and should be limited or avoided anyhow. The american Cancer Society besides suggests limiting processed and red kernel, citing a variety of reasons .
The kernel industry has contested the WHO ‘s discover, saying it is based on studies that show a potential link but do n’t prove a cause, and that single foods should n’t be blamed for cancer. many health experts besides say there ‘s no reason to worry about an periodic hot dog or bologna sandwich .
And while natural preservatives may not make hot dogs any healthier, they fit with the growing preference for ingredients like celery juice that people can easily recognize .
“ I think it ‘s a gradation in the right direction, ” said Kristin Kirkpatrick, a dietician at the Cleveland Clinic .
An interest furrow worth noting is that federal regulations require march meats without add nitrites or nitrates to be labeled as “ uncured ” and to state that they have no nitrates or nitrites added—except those naturally occurring in the option component. That ‘s the language you ‘ll immediately find on Oscar Mayer hot dog packages, though the products previously only had added nitrites .
The kernel industry has contested the ask speech of meat being “ uncured, ” because it says the products are however cured, albeit with nitrites derived from other ingredients .
explore further

Researchers studying nitrites in bacon and other meats
© 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved .
Citation : Are hot dogs healthier without added nitrites ? ( 2017, June 30 ) retrieved 4 December 2021 from hypertext transfer protocol : //nutritionline.net/news/2017-06-hot-dogs-healthier-added-nitrites.html
This document is subject to copyright. apart from any fair manage for the purpose of individual study or research, no separate may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only .

source : https://nutritionline.net
Category : Healthy