In this video, we're going to talk about the use of Nitrate and Nitrite in food preservation. Nitrite is actually the reduced form of Nitrate. Nitrate and Nitrite are very similar in their structures otherwise. Nitrate and Nitrite are primarily used for preserving processed meats in 2 specific ways. The first way is that they inhibit the germination of endospores formed by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. By inhibiting the germination of these endospores, it prevents the growth of this bacteria, which could otherwise be very toxic.

The second way in which these nitrates and nitrites are primarily used for preserving processed meats is that at really high concentrations, they can actually be used to preserve the pinkish color that is associated with meats, for example, hot dogs. If you take a look at the image down below, you'll notice on the left-hand side we're showing you a nitrate, the chemical structure for the nitrate. And, on the left-hand side, we're showing you a fresh steak that has been treated with these nitrates. Notice that it has the pinkish color and that there are no Clostridium bacteria growing on it.

Now, on the right-hand side, we're showing you a rotten steak, and this is because it is not treated with nitrates. It is going to have growth of Clostridium botulinum on there, and so it's not going to be safe to consume. Once again, if you have high enough concentrations of these nitrates and nitrites, it helps to create that pinkish color that is associated with processed meats such as hot dogs and fresh steaks and things like that.

It is also worth noting that one of the drawbacks of using nitrates and nitrites is that they can actually be converted to nitrosamines by improper cooking or by certain gut bacteria. These nitrosamines ultimately can be carcinogenic, meaning that they can contribute to the development of cancer. Although they can be used in helping to make sure that our foods are safe to eat in terms of controlling microbial growth, at times they can also contribute to the development of cancer if they are improperly cooked or if there are specific gut bacteria that can convert these nitrates and nitrites to nitrosamines.

This here concludes our brief lesson on the use of nitrate and nitrite in food preservation, and we'll be able to get some practice applying these concepts as we move forward. So I'll see you all in our next video.