Kinetics of nitrite evaluated in a meat product.

The evaluation of the efficiency with which the reactions involving nitrite proceed in mortadella and of the effect exercised on their kinetics by some variables (ingoing amount of sodium nitrite and temperature) is the purpose of this work. Kinetics parameters were calculated at each level of nitrite added (40, 70, 100 and 150 mg/kg) and at five temperature (55°, 60°, 65°, 70° and 72 °C). While the colour formation reaction is favoured by low activation energy, it becomes crucial to enable nitrite to proceed according to direct reduction thus preventing an increase in nitrate concentration as well as an excess of nitric oxide in the product. Kinetics data suggest that this scope is performed when the product achieves the temperature of 65 °C as fast as possible with an ingoing amount of sodium nitrite of 70 mg/kg.