Nitrates in Food

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BAÜ Fen Bil. Enst. Dergisi (2002).4.2 DETERMINATION OF NITRATES IN FOOD PRODUCTS OLGA KIROVSKA-CIGULEVSKA JZO Zavod za zdravstvena zastita, 3-ta Makedonska brigada br. 18, POB 809, 1000 Skopje, Republic of Macedonia Abstract Nitrates are very toxic matters, which are stimulant methemoglobinemy and produce carcinogenic matters like nitrosoamines and nitrosoamides. The purpose of our research is to find out content of nitrates in different kinds of food products, which are produced in territory of the Republic of Macedonia and from import. Investigations were providing by an enzymatic method (reducing nitrates to nitrites) and after that, determining contents of nitrates spectrophotometricaly. All products are investigated by bioquant nitrate test. It was found that the medium values for nitrates in investigated products are less then maximum levels for nitrates in our country and less then regulation in WHO. Key words: nitrates, determination, food, spectrophotometry 1. Introduction Nitrates are very toxic matters, which reduce to nitrites at certain physiological conditions in the human body. They cause metchemoglobinemy and produce carcinogenic matters like nitrosoamines and different health disturbances as changes in vitamin levels, disturbance in thyroxin production; negative influence in reproduction; changes in the blood etc. Almost all food products contain nitrates, because nitrates are naturally present in the soil (e.g. humid matters), the water and the air (e.g. nitrous gases). Nitrates negative influence on human health starts with their conversion to nitrites, by an enzyme "nitrate reductase" [1]. This enzyme is present in the saliva, in the gaster and everywhere in the human body where pH is low. Nitrites react with hemoglobin and produce methemoglobin, which enables to transport of oxygen at the cellular level. Newborn

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