"brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
| Pete C. wrote:
| >
| > As for the other comment, I *want* nitrites in sausages, they are
| > supposed to be there.
|
| Not so. Folks have been preserving meats for thousands of years
| with plain NACL. Nitrites are a rather recent inovation but mainly as
| a color fixitive.... without nitrites your pepperoni, tube steak,
| bacon, and corned beef would be grey instead of red is all.

Also safe to eat...without nitrites they would be grey an dangerous.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...on/DJ0974.html :
"Nitrite in meat greatly delays development of botulinal toxin (botulism),
develops cured meat flavor and color, retards development of rancidity
and off-odors and off-flavors during storage, inhibits development of
warmed-over flavor, and preserves flavors of spices, smoke, etc."

pavane