PROXIMATE ANALYSIS AND SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC DETERMINATION OF SODIUM NITRITE IN CURED MEAT PRODUCTS SAMPLED IN NIGERIA
Keywords:
Cured meat products; nitrite toxicity; UV-Spectrophotometer; public health; regulatory control.Abstract
Cured meat products which are mostly imported from other countries form part of the diet of a large percentage
of the Nigerian population. Elevated sodium nitrite concentration frequently found in cured meat products has
been found to have deleterious effects on humans, raising public health concerns. Sodium nitrite concentration
was determined for 13 cured meat products randomly sampled and purchased from supermarkets and open
markets in Nigeria using a Jenway 640517 UV/Vis spectrophotometer. The calibration curve was linear over the
range of 0.0-1.2 ppm and the coefficient of determination (r2) was 0.999. Nitrite concentrations within the range
of 7.81 ± 0.8061 and 179.83 ± 0.2687 mg/kg were determined. Further, moisture content (%), ash value (%), and
pH values were found to be within the ranges of 27.51 - 74.42; 1.18 - 3.31, and 4.65 - 6.45 respectively. A
comparison of results with permissible values given by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and
Agricultural Organisation (FAO) revealed that 76.9% (n=10) of the samples conformed with the recommended
nitrite concentration of 10-125 mg/kg whilst 23.1% (n=3) did not. This highlights the need for stringent regulatory
control of nitrite concentrations in cured meat products to avoid nitrite toxicity.