Investigations Of Nitrite Residues Of Cooked Meat Products In Huaibei City Anhui Province

Objective To prevent and control food poisoning caused by nitrite, and to reduce its hazards and protect the health of people, We analyzed three recent events on nitrite food poisoning and the content of nitrite in pot-stewed meat which were sold in Huaibei city.Methods 1. We randomly took 207samples of meat products in Huaibei city to examine. Rapid determination of samples by rapid nitrite test tubes were taken to compare with the levels cards, the amaranth color in the initial shows strong positive samples. Then measure the nitrite content in 94 strong positive samples by N(Naphthyl)- ethylenediamine dihydrochloride method according to GB/T5009.33- 2003 determination of nitrite and nitrate in food.2. Three food poisoning events brought about by nitrite were analyzed to find the basic characters and the reason of poisoning distribution and the regulation.Results 1. 94 out of 207 samples were strongly positive in the initial and 68 exceeded the national standard. The detection rate of nitrite in the samples of the following food was listed from high to low: dog products, sausage products, pork products,beef products, chicken products,duck products.Passing rate of the samples was chickens products, ducks products, sausage products, dog products, pork products, beef products. The residual nitrite content in meat products had a maximum of 740 mg/kg, 24 times that of the standard. The average nitrite content in the ineligible samples is 247mg/kg.2. The three events caused by nitrite in Huaibei were all due to misuse, respectively of nitrite as monosodium glutamate and salt ,which occurred in a small restaurant, a snack bar,a rural family respectively.Conclusion The abuse of nitrite is widespread in the Huaibei region, which may have a high potential danger of food poisoning .Food poisoning cases caused by the addition of excessive nitrite during the food processing have been reduced, but chronic toxicity still exists. After the promulgating and implementation of "Food Safety Law" , governments at all levels should play a important role and assume overall responsibility in ensuring food safety, coordinating the regulatory work of supervision departments, and strengthening supervision through every link of nitrite use. Propaganda should be strengthened to raise public awareness of food safety and enhance the enterprise's consciousness that food safety is of the first important. The government need to prohibit rural families from using nitrite when running the banquet, establish tougher punishment for illegal activities, developed a rapid method for detecting toxic substances and improve an emergency management system to deal with food poisoning. Monascorubin is to be used as a replacement.