Rapid Nitrosation of Phenols and its Implications for Health Hazards from Dietary Nitrites

Abstract

THE use of sodium nitrite as a food preservative is under close scrutiny because its presence may result in the formation of secondary N-nitrosamines, which are powerful carcinogens in laboratory animals1,2. They may form either in the food itself during processing3 or in the digestive tract from suitable amino compounds4,6. Only minute amounts of secondary N-nitrosamines, however, have been detected in preserved food so far7.