Office of Public Sector Information

When labelled “for food use”, nitrite may be sold only in a mixture with salt or a salt substitute.

Fo-value 3 is equivalent to 3 minutes heating at 121°C (reduction of the bacterial load of one billion spores in each 1,000 cans to one spore in a thousand cans).

Nitrates may be present in some heat-treated meat products resulting from natural conversion of nitrites to nitrates in a low-acid environment.

Meat products are immersed in curing solution containing nitrites and/or nitrates, salt and other components. The meat products may undergo further treatments e.g. smoking.

Meat is injected with curing solution followed by immersion curing for 3 to 10 days. The immersion brine solution also includes microbiological starter cultures.

Immersion cured for 3 to 5 days. Product is not heat-treated and has a high water activity .

Immersion cured for at least 4 days and pre-cooked.

Meat is injected with curing solution followed by immersion curing. Curing time is 14 to 21 days followed by maturation in cold-smoke for 4 to 5 weeks.

Immersion cured for 4 to 5 days at 5 to 7°C, matured for typically 24 to 40 hours at 22°C, possibly smoked for 24 hrs at 20 to 25°C and stored for 3 to 6 weeks at 12 to 14°C.

Curing time depending on the shape and weight of meat pieces for approximately 2 days/kg followed by stabilisation/maturation.

Dry curing process involves dry application of curing mixture containing nitrites and/or nitrates, salt and other components to the surface of the meat followed by a period of stabilisation/maturation. The meat products may undergo further treatments eg. smoking.

Dry curing followed by maturation for at least 4 days.

Dry curing with a stabilisation period of at least 10 days and a maturation period of more than 45 days.

Dry cured for 10 to 15 days followed by a 30 to 45 day stabilisation period and a maturation period of at least 2 months.

Dry cured for 3 days + 1 day/kg followed by a one week post-salting period and an ageing/ripening period of 45 days to 18 months.

Curing time depending on the shape and weight of meat pieces for approximately 10 to 14 days followed by stabilisation/maturation.

Immersion and dry cured processes used in combination or where nitrite and/or nitrate is included in a compound product or where the curing solution is injected into the product prior to cooking. The products may undergo further treatments eg. smoking.

Dry curing and immersion curing used in combination (without injection of curing solution). Curing time depending on the shape and weight of meat pieces for approximately 14 to 35 days followed by stabilisation/maturation.

Injection of curing solution followed, after a minimum of 2 days, by cooking in boiling water for up to 3 hours.

Product has a minimum 4-week maturation period and a water/protein ratio of less than 1.7.

Maturation period of at least 30 days.

Dried product cooked to 70°C followed by 8 to 12 day drying and smoking process. Fermented product subject to 14 to 30 day three-stage fermentation process followed by smoking.

Raw fermented dried sausage without added nitrites. Product is fermented at temperatures in the range of 18 to 22°C or lower (10 to 12°C) and then has a minimum ageing/ripening period of 3 weeks. Product has a water/protein ratio of less than 1:7.