Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
This invention relates gener~lly to innovations and
improvements in the production of precooked sliced bacon character-
i2ed by its low nitrite content while exhibiting the qualities and
characteristics of precooked sliced bacon conventionally made with
greater nitrite content.
It has been conventional for many years to include nitrites
and/or nitrates in the cure compositions utilized in curing bacon
bellies. Presently, the maximum legal concentration or content of
nitrite (calculated as sodium nitrite) permitted by the Eederal
Government is approximately 200 parts per million (ppm). However,
there have been studies which indicate that bacon made with legally
permissible levels of nitrites and/or nitrates results in detectable
carcinogenic nitrosamines after cooking. Studies reveal that the
quantity of nitrosamines produced is dependent upon the square of
the nitrite concentxation. Reference is made to J. National Cancer
Institute, Volume 44, page 633 (1970), S. S. Mirvish, "The Kinetics
of Dimethylamine Nitrosation in Relation to Nitrosamine Carcinogene-
sis" .
Studies ~lso indicate that nitrite inhibits growth of
Clostridium botulinum and, therefore, offers protection against
botulism. More particularly, the growth of, and toxin production by,
Clostridium botulinum is progressively inhibited as the nitrite
concentration is increased. Reference is made to R. A. Greenberg,
"The Effect of Nitrite on Botulinal Toxin Formation in Bacon", 1973
Proceedings of the Meat Industr~ Research Conference, page 69.
Accordingly, the predictable effect of substantially reducing the
nitrite content in producing bacon is a substantial reduction in the
protection against botulism which is provided when conventional,
legally permissible concentrations of nitrite are present in bacon.
However, in accordance with the present invention, bacon
can be commercially produced in sliced precooked form having a low
content or concentration of nitrite comparable to, or having at
least most of the desirable attributes of~ conventional bacon made
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~ith maximum legal ~uan-tities of nitrite. This invention makes i-t
possible to eliminate or, at least substantially reduce, the possible
hazards of ingesting carcinogenic nitrosamines from conventional
cooked bacon, by virtue of very substantially reducing the nitrite
content combined with prefrying or precooking the slicer1 bacon so
as to lower the water activity to or below the level where growth
of Cl. botulinum and similar organisms occurs.
The object of the present invention, generally stated, is
the provision of a commercially feasible method of producing precooked
sliced bacon comparable to conventional precooked sliced bacon except
that the bacon produced by this invention has a reduced nitrite
content which at least substantially reduces the possible formation
of carcinogenic nitrosamines during cooking.
More specifically, an object of the present invention is a
commercially feasible method of producing precooked sliced bacon
characterized by its low nitrite content while exhibiting the
attributes generally associated with bacon produced with higher
nitrite levels, wherein the method includes the steps of treating
bacon bellies with a cure composition containing salt, sugar and a
low content of sodium nitrite; smoking the bacon bellies after the
cure composition has at least had a chance to become dispersed in the
bellies; chilling the smoked bellies; slicing the chilled bellies;
and cooking the sliced bacon so as to reduce its water content to or
below a level at which the water content does not support growth of
Cl. botulinum or other similar organisms.
Sodium nitrite is the preferred source of nitrite for
this invention, but potassium nitrite can also be used.
By the present invention, if the level or concentration
of sodium nitrite introduced into the bacon is from about 5 ppm
to about 120 ppm, precooked sliced bacon can be produced which will
be acceptable and comparable in quality to bacon produced with a
sodium nitrite content of 200 ppm. Under this invention, a preferred
~ 3 =
~3~3~
ange of sodium nitrite is from about 15 ppm to about 120 ppm and
an especially preEerred range is from about 15 ppm to about 60 ppm.
The general method of producing precooked low level nitri-te
sliced bacon in accordance with the present invention includes the
following steps: (1) skin the bacon bellies; (2) pump the skinned
bacon bellies with cure or apply the cure composition to the bellies
by some other acceptable method; (3) cure the bellies sufficiently
to permit the cure compositio~ to become dispersed adequately in the
bellies; (4) smoke the bellies; (5) chill the smoked bellies; (6)
slice the chilled bellies; (7) cook the bacon slices; and (8) package
the precooked sliced bacon.
The following specific examples will more specifically
illustrate the invention and teach the presently preferred pro-
cedures for practicing the same.
Examples 1 - 3
Pork bacon bellies were pumped to the 10% level, by weight,
with the following cure compositions:
Ingredient Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
Sodium Chloride 1.5 lb. 1.5 lb. 1.5 lb.
Sugar 0.86 lb. 0.86 lb. 0.86 lb.
Sodium Ascorbate 0.055 lb. 0.055 lb. 0,055 lb.
Sodium
Tripolyphosphate 0.5 lb. 0.5 lb. 0.5 lb.
Sodium Nitrite 0,227 grams 0.454 grams 0.681 grams
(5 ppm) (10 ppm) (15 ppm)
Water 7.09 lb. 7.09 lb. 7.09 lb.
The pumped bellies were held in a 32 F. cooler for two
days to allow the cure to b~come dispersed and were then processed
in a smokehouse for a period of 22 hours, reaching an internal
3Q temperature of 128 F. ~ 130 F. The smoked bacon bellies were
chilled, sliced and cooked to a yield of approximately 36~. The
cooked sliced bacon was then wrapped and/or vacuum sealed in an
oxygen barrier film. The bacon made with 15 ppm nitrite had acceptable
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olor development and flavor while the color developmen-t and flavor
were acceptable but less desirable at 10 ppm and 5 ppm.
Examples 4 - 8
Skinned pork bacon bellies were pumped with cure composi-
tions so as to provide the bacon bellies with sodium nitrite levels
ranging from 0 to 120 ppm as follows:
Sodium
Sodium Sodium Tripoly- Sodium Sodium
Nitrite Chloride Sucrose phosphate Ascorbate Nitrite Water
ppm % % % ~ % %
Example 4 0 13.63 7.732.73 0.5 0 75.4
Example 5 15 13.63 7.732.73 0.5 0.0136 75.4
Example 6 30 13.63 7.732.73 0~5 0.0273 75.4
Example 7 60 13.63 7.732.73 0.5 0.0546 75.4
Example 8 120 13.63 7.732.73 0.5 0.1091 75.4
Fresh skinned bellies o~ 13 lb. weight range were pumped
to 12.5~ increase in weight with a 5-needle hand operated pumping
device. The bellies were cured for three days in a 40 F. cooler and
then smokehouse processed for 22 hours, reaching an internal tempera-
ture of 128 - 130 F. The bellies were chilled to 26 - 28 F. and
formed. The formed bacon was sliced approximately 10 slices per
inch and fried on a belt grill. The average frying yield was 36%.
The fried bacon was placed on metallized trays and vacuum packaged
in an oxygen barrier film.
Samples of the prefried bacon at the five different
sodium nitrite levels were evaluated by taste panels. The samples
were evaluated at intervals rom two weeks to six months after
prefrying and storage at 32 F., 45 F. and room temperature.
Evaluations were performed by seven to ten panel members who rated
the bacon on a hedonic scale where 9 equals excellent and 0 equals
very poor. The results of 22 evaluations were averaged as follows:
~ 5 ~
7~
Sodium
Nitrite Appearance Flavor
Example _ppm Rating Ratin~
0 2.0 3.5
5.6 5.0
6 30 6.0 5.2
7 60 5.7 5.1
8 120 5.9 4.9
The foregoing results indicate that there is little, if
any-j difference in the appearance and flavor of prefried bacon made
from 15 ppm to 120 ppm sodium nitrite. However, if no sodium nitrite
is used, both appearance and flavor are rated much lower.
; ~t will be understood that certain changes may be made in
the foregoing procedures without departing from the spirit and scope
of the invention. For example, the cure composition can be made
without sodium tripolyphosphate or sodium ascorbate or their equiva-
lents. However, these compounds exhibit antioxidant activity and
improve other characteristics of the bacon. The cure composition
may be applied to the bacon by other techniques than pumping. For
example, a dry cure composition can be rubbed into the surfaces of
the bacon bellies or the bacon bellies may be introduced into vats
containing the cure composition and allowed to stand therein for
; sufficient times to take up the proper amount of the cure. The
sliced bacon may be precooked or prefried by any of several methods,` -
such as deep fat frying, infrared, microwave, hot air oven or hot ,~
surface contact as on a grill. Unless the cooked sliced bacon is
to be consumed promptly, it should be vacuum packaged for long shelf
life in an oxygen barrier film.
Although this invention has been descxibed in detail with
particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof~ it will be
understood that variations and modifications can be effected within
the spirit and scope of this invention as described above and as
defined in the appended claims.
