Nimisha Vinod
MSc in Food Innovation, MSc in Biotechnology
The previous article reviewed the importance of meat preservation with emphasis on the evolution of preservation and processing techniques from traditional practices to modern methodologies.
Today, we’ll examine the role of additives in meat processing, addressing both natural and synthetic additives and their utilization from historical applications to modern industrial practices.
Food Additives in Meat Processing and Preservation
The use of food additives dates to early human civilization. This began from the addition of salt to preserve meat to modern taste improvisation in meat. The purpose of food additives ranges from
- preserving the food (preservatives)
- adding new flavour to the food (processing agents: flavouring agent, colouring agent, texturizing agent, nutritional additives)
Additives can be
- Natural (derived from plants or animals)
- Synthetic (made from chemical substances or enzymes)
All preservatives and processing agents are food additives, but not all food additives are preservatives. All that is added to food are additives and they serve different purposes in food.
Some preserve the meat while some improve the texture, flavour of the meat. Some additives serve the dual action as preservative and processing agent, like antioxidants, when added to meat.
The use of these additives is rising now-a-days with increasing use of processed. foods[1] Common food additives are discussed below.
Nutritional additives
These additives include the use of vitamins like
- Vitamin A (for healthy eyes, glowing skin and strong immunity)
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin C (Immunity and Collagen booster)
- Vitamin D (the sunshine hormone for stronger bones)
- fatty acids
- minerals
in food to enhance the nutritional value.[1]
Flavouring additives
Spices like herbs, oils are flavouring agents that improve the taste and flavour of the food, especially in meat.
Flavouring agents can be natural like plant extracts or chemical agents like esters, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, and ethers.[1]
Colouring additives
Colour additives give the food product colours that attract consumers. These additives are commonly used in food. Natural colours, like carotene, are derived from fruits and vegetables.
Artificial colours, like
- Erythrosine
- Tartrazine
- Sunset Yellow
- Brilliant Blue
are prevalent in food today. Although, their use is regulated.[1]
Texturizing agent
Food additives like emulsifier, thickener, stabilizer, and bulking agent are texturizing agents due to their ability to transform the structure, taste and flavour of the food products.
Lecithin is a natural emulsifier
Lecithin is a natural emulsifier and is used to mix oil and water such as in mayonnaise. Stabilizer like gelatin is added to food due to its function of stabilizing the structure of the food.
Starch acts as both thickener and bulking agent in food without altering the nutritional quality.[1]
Binders
Binders are food additives that hold the proteins and fats in meat together to create a uniform texture.[2] They prevent the separation of these structural molecules when subjected to heating, chilling methods. Thus, it helps keep the meat structure intact.[3]
Binders vary depending on the type of food and the processing method. Binders like
- starch
- xanthan gum
- guar gum
absorb more water when heated. This is due to their gelatinizing property. Carrageenan with modified food starch or with xanthan gum, and whey protein are added as binders to turkey ham and cured pork products, sausages, cooked poultry products, beef and poultry patties, fermented sausages.[3]
Soluble binders like soy proteins, methylcellulose, carrageenan provide the thickness and textural properties like gelling, less oil loss in emulsified meat-like products.
Insoluble binders like wheat gluten absorbs water and adds a bulky texture to meat. Egg protein, methylcellulose or wheat gluten improves the tastes of burgers.[4]
Antioxidants
When processed, meat can undergo the process of oxidation, usually of the proteins and lipids.[5] Oxidation is a major cause in meat spoilage and leads to poor meat quality. This alters the meat taste, flavour, colour, smell, texture.
Oxidation is a major cause in meat spoilage
Oxidation begins soon after slaughter (post-mortem) as cellular metabolism ceases and oxidative stress increases.[6] Oxidation is a natural process and is initiated when cells experience stress from factors such as thermal heating, pH change, chemical processing and exposure to environmental factors like light, oxygen, pollutants.
As a result, the meat cells release reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals, which attack lipids and proteins, leading to deterioration in meat quality.[6]
Antioxidants are chemical compounds that can scavenge these free radicals and prevent oxidation. Antioxidants stabilize or neutralize ROS.
Antioxidants can be
- natural compounds (found in fruits and vegetables)
- synthetic chemicals
Antioxidants as food additives play their part during the meat preservation process. As the addition of the antioxidant directly impacts the meat and human health, the addition is regulated by national food authorities.[7]
Apart from reducing the oxidation in meat, antioxidants also serve as antimicrobial agents due to their ability to interfere with the growth of meat spoilage microbes. Commonly used antioxidants are discussed below.
Antioxidants also serve as antimicrobial agents
Natural antioxidants contain chemical structures like phenolics, flavonols and acids. Natural antioxidants like tocopherols are abundant in seed oils, while anthocyanins are found in berries.
Flavonols occur in citrus fruits and many herbs, while flavonoids are common in spinach and other leafy green vegetables.
Hydroxycinnamic acids, another antioxidant, are present in products like cider.[5, 7]
Synthetic antioxidants include compounds such as Butylhydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylhydroxytoluene (BHT), Propyl Gallate (PG), and tert-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). These additives are commonly used in processed foods, including products like breakfast cereals and sausages.[7]
Enzymes
Although enzymes had long been involved in traditional food processing methods, their commercial use began in the mid-20th century.
Enzymes used as food additives play a pivotal role in modifying the food flavour, texture, and overall quality. Enzymes added to food are non-toxic, often proteinous. They are generally of plant or microbial origin and are preferred most in food industries.
Enzymes are generally of plant or microbial origin
Pectinases, discovered in the 1930s, remains a widely used enzyme as a clarifying agent in fruit juices. Various enzymes are employed across food sectors to enhance product quality and flavour.
Papain and bromelain are used in meat to improve the meat’s tenderness. Glutaminase is used in meat sausages for flavour enhancement.[8]
Transglutaminases are excellent food additives, added to cross-linked meats, when they are processed through freezing conditions. The enzyme is helpful to meat producers as it can bind the less expensive leftover meat portions, from trimming, to a uniform meat product which is more appealing to the consumers.
The enzyme adsorbs to the meat surface and forms cross-links between amino acids in meat proteins. Thus, the enzyme stabilizes the meat attributes like texture colour, flavour affected through extreme processing conditions.[9]
Phosphates
Phosphates are widely employed as functional food additives in the processing of meat products to enhance the product quality and stability. Phosphates regulate the water-holding capacity of meat, enhancing the texture and flavour of the meat.
Phosphates regulate the water-holding capacity of meat
Based on these functional properties, phosphates are generally categorized as emulsifiers or thickeners. Sodium or Potassium salts of phosphoric acids are generally used in processed meats.
Phosphates being alkaline in nature increase the pH of the meat, which in turn increase the holding of water in muscle fibres and muscle proteins. This buffering action of the phosphates maintains the water-holding capacity, which is critical for the sensory and textural attributes in meat.
Phosphates dual action as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent helps sustain overall quality of processed meat products.[10]
Food Preservatives in Meat Processing and Preservation
Preservatives preserve the meat quality and extend the shelf life by inhibiting the growth of meat spoilage microorganisms. In addition to physical preservation methods such as heating and freezing, chemical preservatives like nitrates and nitrites are commonly used due to their availability and ease of application.
The commonly used chemical preservatives in meat include
- nitrates or nitrites
- chlorides
- organic acids and their salts
- sulphites
with nitrites being the most prominent.
Nitrates are especially common in highly processed meats such as sausages.
However, several studies have reported potential adverse health effects associated with these compounds, which are discussed below.
Nitrates and Nitrites
Nitrates and nitrites are common preservatives in the meat curing process. These inorganic salts help maintain the colour and stability of the cured meat products.
In meat, nitrates are reduced to nitrites by naturally occurring microbes. Nitrite is the more reactive and effective form, playing a key role in preservation.
Nitrites play their role as antioxidants, retain the red pigment of meat, and also work as antibacterial agents against one of the fatal foodborne bacteria, Clostridium botulinum.
The addition of these salts to meat has been regulated by the European Union and USA law following its potential health risks. Nitrates and nitrites are potential contributors to the formation of N-nitroso compounds (NOC), potent carcinogens to humans.
When the cured meats are heated or smoked, meat proteins denature and break down to amino acids, various amines, and other complex compounds.
Nitrites can react with these amines to form nitrosamines, a subgroup of NOCs associated with cancer risk.[11]
Chlorides
Sodium chlorides are the commonly used preservative in processed meats other than nitrates and nitrites, in cured and processed meats. Salts add flavour and increase the palatability of meat.
Adding Sodium chloride to meat reduces the water activity in meat, necessary for the microbial growth, and removes all the water molecules from meat through evaporation.
However, high intake of salts can have potential health impact in humans causing elevated blood pressure, which can lead to cardiovascular disease and stroke.[12]
In a study by Afanda et al. (2025), 74 commercial processed meats were studied for their chloride, nitrite, and nitrate contents in Ireland.
The samples were hams, bacon or rashers, dried sausages and beef which were dry cured, few brined and others cooked and smoked.
All the 74 processed meats reported chlorides presence with the highest in salamis. These processed meats also contained nitrates and nitrites.[13]
Organic acids and their salts
Acetic, lactic, sorbic and benzoic acids are commonly used organic acids as preservatives in meat. These acids have an antimicrobial effect on meat spoilage microbes. They act by altering the pH within the microbial cell. This denatures the proteins and genetic content of microbes, leading to cell distortion.
Acetic acid, commonly called vinegar, is known for its activity against several foodborne bacteria, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Listeria spp., and is mainly used in processed foods such as dried or fermented sausages.
Sodium and potassium salts of acetic acid are generally used for the preservation of meat products, such as potassium diacetate in hot dogs. Acetic acid is particularly effective against Listeria monocytogenes, a major foodborne pathogen.
Lactic acid serves a dual function in meat preservation. It acts as an antimicrobial agent meanwhile altering the taste of the meat by lowering the pH level in meat. It generally keeps the meat acidic, this regulates the growth of foodborne microbes in meat. Lactic acid is mainly used in Ready-to-eat meat products.
Benzoic acid is less popular in foods as a preservative. It possesses antifungal and antimicrobial activity. Sodium salts of benzoic acid and the organic benzoic acids are generally used alone or in combination and are effective against many foodborne bacteria and are used in ready-to-eat foods.
Sorbic acids are another commonly used organic acid and are effective chemical preservatives used against food spoiling yeast and molds.
Potassium salts of sorbic acids are mostly used in beef jerky
The addition of the above organic acids are regulated with specified Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), to avoid their excessive use in meat preservation.
For benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, the recommended ADI is 5 mg/kg of adult body weight and for sorbic acid and potassium sorbate the recommended ADI is 25 mg/kg of adult body weight.[14]
Other than the organic acids, synthetic antioxidants like BHA and BHT are also categorized as preservatives.[14]
Sulphites
Sulphites are commonly added to processed meats to extend shelf life due to their
- antimicrobial
- antioxidant
- textural-modifying properties
These compounds effectively inhibit the growth of yeasts and molds at a pH less than 4 and with an increase in pH above 4, they resist the growth of spore forming bacteria in foods.
However, their use is strictly regulated, as sulphite intake may cause sensitivity or allergic reactions like
- asthma
- skin irritations
- diarrhoea[15]
Sodium, potassium, and calcium sulphite derivatives are widely utilized in meat and other foods. Sulphur dioxide, sodium bisulphites, potassium and calcium bisulphites or sulphates are the derivatives.
Sulphites when added to meats, decrease the nutritional value of the meat by degrading the vitamins.
The ministry of primary industries New Zealand has restricted the addition of sulphur dioxide/sulphites to less than 500 mg/kg in processed meats and to be declared in the product labels.[16]
References
(1) Adhikari, S. (2021). Additives and preservatives used in food processing and preservation, and their health implications. Food Chemistry, 43–72.
(2) Herz, E., Moll, P., Schmitt, C., & Weiss, J. (2023). Binders in foods: Definition, functionality, and characterization. Food Hydrocolloids, 145, 109077.
(3) Nair, M. S., Nair, D. V., Johny, A. K., & Venkitanarayanan, K. (2020). Use of food preservatives and additives in meat and their detection techniques. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 187–213).
(4) Kyriakopoulou, K., Keppler, J. K., & Van Der Goot, A. J. (2021). Functionality of ingredients and additives in Plant-Based Meat analogues. Foods, 10(3), 600. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10030600
(5) Zeb, A. (2020). Concept, mechanism, and applications of phenolic antioxidants in foods. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 44(9). https://doi.org/10.1111/jfbc.13394
(6) Bao, Y., & Ertbjerg, P. (2018). Effects of protein oxidation on the texture and water-holding of meat: a review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 59(22), 3564–3578.
(7) Wu, L., Zhang, C., Long, Y., Chen, Q., Zhang, W., & Liu, G. (2021). Food additives: From functions to analytical methods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 62(30), 8497–8517.
(8) Annapure, U. S., Rout, S., & Srivastav, P. P. (2022). Applications of enzymes in food industries as additives. In Microorganisms for sustainability (pp. 13–26).
(9) Khvostov, D. V., Khryachkova, A. Y., & Minaev, M. Y. (2024). The role of enzymes in the formation of meat and meat products. Theory and Practice of Meat Processing, 9(1), 40–52.
(10) Thangavelu, K. P., Kerry, J. P., Tiwari, B. K., & McDonnell, C. K. (2019). Novel processing technologies and ingredient strategies for the reduction of phosphate additives in processed meat. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 94, 43–53.
(11) Bernardo, P., Patarata, L., Lorenzo, J. M., & Fraqueza, M. J. (2021). Nitrate Is Nitrate: The Status Quo of Using Nitrate through Vegetable Extracts in Meat Products. Foods, 10(12), 3019. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10123019
(12) Barcenilla, C., Álvarez-Ordóñez, A., López, M., Alvseike, O., & Prieto, M. (2022). Microbiological Safety and Shelf-Life of Low-Salt Meat Products—A review. Foods, 11(15), 2331. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11152331
(13) Afanda, B., O’Connor, C., Moloney, M., De Ruyck, K., & Danaher, M. (2025). Analysis of Chloride, Nitrite and Nitrate in Processed Meat using Microwave Extraction and Two-Dimensional Ion Chromatography. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 141, 107323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2025.107323
(14) Braïek, O. B., & Smaoui, S. (2021). Chemistry, safety, and challenges of the use of organic acids and their derivative salts in meat preservation. Journal of Food Quality, 2021, 1–20.
(15) Quansah, J. K., & Saalia, F. K. (2024). Chemistry of food additives: preservatives. In IntechOpen eBooks.
(16) D’Amore, T., Di Taranto, A., Berardi, G., Vita, V., Marchesani, G., Chiaravalle, A. E., & Iammarino, M. (2020). Sulfites in meat: Occurrence, activity, toxicity, regulation, and detection. A comprehensive review. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 19(5), 2701–2720.
