The Meat Specialist Developed Nitrite-Free Cured Meat

At the center, Wes Osburn, Ph.D., meat specialist at Texas A&M University, is working in his lab with students Tanner Wright and Arlie Reeves on a new nitrite-free jerky system. (Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife, photo by Michael Miller)

Imagine your favorite cured meats like beef jerky, pepperoni, or bacon without the added sodium nitrite from any source currently needed for color and shelf life. Wes Osburn, PhD, does just that.

At the center, Wes Osburn, Ph.D., meat specialist at Texas A&M University, is working in his lab with students Tanner Wright and Arlie Reeves on a new nitrite-free jerky system. (Photograph by Texas A&M AgriLife by Michael Miller)

Osburn, an associate professor of meat sciences at the Texas College of Agricultural and Biological Sciences in the Department of Animal Science, set out to find an innovative method to produce the nitric oxide and residual nitrite needed to process meat and poultry products, but without the addition of natural or synthetic sources of nitrite.

The usual treatment for most processed meat products involves adding sodium nitrite to the meat to preserve it and reduce the potential growth of bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum or perfringens during cooking and refrigeration.

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Osburn has been researching the idea of ​​a new alternative amino acid meat preservation system for years. In 2022, he received a $500,000 grant from the USDA, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative to determine if amino acids could be added to activate the nitric oxide synthase system.

He was joined in the study by members of the Department of Animal Science Rhonda Miller, Ph.D., Professor of Meat Science; Guoyao Wu, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, University Faculty Fellow, and A&M AgriLife Texas Research Fellow in Animal Nutrition; Sapna Chitlapilli Dass, PhD, assistant professor of microbial ecology and microbiome interactions; and Chris Kert, PhD, Associate Professor of Meat Science; along with Ranjit Ramanathan, PhD, Professor of Meat Science at Oklahoma State University.

Using naturally occurring nitrites and nitrates, a team led by Wes Osburn, Ph.D., Texas A&M University meat specialist, is working to make sure they can get the pink color of the jerky. (Photograph by Texas A&M AgriLife by Michael Miller)

Using naturally occurring nitrites and nitrates, a team led by Wes Osburn, Ph.D., Texas A&M University meat specialist, is working to make sure they can get the pink color of the jerky. (Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife, photo by Michael Miller)

Although the processing of meat with synthetic sodium nitrite is safe and effective, the process has long been associated with cancer problems. In response to these concerns, meat processors have developed “unsalted” meat products that “contain no added nitrates or nitrites other than naturally occurring”.

This alternative curing system uses vegetable powder derived from celery as a natural source of nitrite for curing meat products. But these foods can impart a noticeable vegetable flavor to the meat and a less favorable cured or pink color, Osburn said.

Knowing that nitrites and nitrates occur naturally in the human body and in some foods, Osburn thinks it possible to add the amino acid L-arginine to meat, which activates the nitric oxide synthase enzyme, NOS, contained in it. The NOS enzyme converts L-arginine into nitric oxide, NO, and another amino acid, L-citrulline.

The nitric oxide molecule gives the cured meat its characteristic pink color. In addition, two molecules of nitric oxide can combine to form nitrite, which serves as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent to increase product shelf life and safety.

Osburn said he was listening to his doctor friend Dr. Nathan Bryan talk about endothelial nitric oxide synthase, eNOS, a system in the human body and how she uses L-arginine to produce nitric oxide, which improves circulation and blood flow. It was then that the connection was established, and he wondered if the eNOS enzyme could be activated by adding L-arginine to form nitric oxide and preserve meat.

“Perhaps this approach is actually a ‘natural healing process’ by adding an amino acid to an enzyme whose main function is to produce nitric oxide,” Osburn said. “I don’t add nitrates or nitrites.”

Use of natural amino acids

Osburn said the addition of the amino acid L-arginine activates the nitric oxide synthase system to naturally generate nitric oxide and nitrite to process meat and poultry products.

This new alternative amino acid curing method is expected to eliminate the need to directly or indirectly add sodium nitrite to meat products. Their study will provide a better understanding of the interrelated biochemical mechanisms that contribute to the functioning of the NOS system.

The research team plans to develop process and operational procedures for meat processors to effectively use the NOS system for stable and predictable processing of meat and poultry products.

Osburn said they need to test the feasibility of the process and make sure it works, and make sure it works for different species and products within species under all conditions. He said it would take some time to research different types of beef jerky, pork and poultry products.

“There are differences in the amount of NOS enzymes in different muscle groups in different types of meat,” he said. “This enzyme is closely associated with mitochondria, so the muscles used for locomotion tend to have more of the NOS enzyme. There are also differences in the content of myoglobin (meat color pigment), so if we can generate nitric oxide with the NOS enzyme, the color of the jerky may differ.

“That’s what we’re trying to overcome by achieving a uniform pink color in cured meats with our amino acid-based curing system, so that it compares favorably with traditionally cured meats.”

Cured meats prepared without the addition of sodium nitrite are pictured in the laboratory of Wes Osburn, Ph.D., butcher scientist at Texas A&M University. (Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife, photo by Michael Miller)

Where is the meat?

“The question we are still trying to answer is whether the NOS enzyme will generate enough nitric oxide to produce an acceptable cured color and enough residual nitrite to guarantee product safety, whether it be raw sausage, pepperoni or any other product. product?” Osburn said. “Think about it, if we can produce pepperoni with this process, it could have a huge economic impact since we consume a lot of pepperoni here in the US.”

Cured meats prepared without the addition of sodium nitrite are pictured in the laboratory of Wes Osburn, Ph.D., butcher scientist at Texas A&M University. (Photograph by Texas A&M AgriLife by Michael Miller)

He said he is developing a prototype amino acid-cured ham product that will be subjected to manufacturing sensory analysis for cured color pigment, volatile compounds, sensory and texture analysis, and expiration date.

His research team manipulates several factors, such as arginine concentration, meat pH, temperature and time, to determine the optimal conditions for the formation of nitric oxide by the eNOS enzyme.

“We are in the second phase of our USDA-NIFA funded grant,” Osburn said. “We are moving from laboratory to pilot plant production, so for the first time we are producing a commercial cured meat product and evaluating all aspects of the product, including color, shelf life, flavor and organoleptic properties. This information will provide more evidence to show interested companies that this system works.”

His research team plans to apply this new system to five cured products—restructured ham, beef jerky, bacon, fermented summer sausage, or salami and poultry frankfurters—all products that require different processing steps to confirm that the amino acid curing system effectively dries a variety of meats. . products.

Let’s get down to the meat jerky case.

“If, based on the results of our study, the data shows that our new curing system is comparable to traditionally cured products in terms of safety, shelf life, and organoleptic properties, then there is a good chance that this process will be commercialized.” Osburn said. “This new curing system should compete favorably with the existing curing system. If we can’t get close to it, it will always be something new. Companies may or may not want to join us.”

Osburn said that while meat companies are showing a lot of interest in it, there is still a lot of research to be done, as well as some upcoming USDA regulations that will determine the future labeling of the current alternative, or “raw” meat products.

Robert Brummet, Senior Licensing Manager at Texas A&M AgriLife Research’s Intellectual Property and Commercialization Division, worked with Osburn to protect the intellectual property for an alternative meat curing process. The patent application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, in December 2020.

The patent application is currently pending with the USPTO, a process that could take another 18 months or more, Brummet said. In the meantime, Osburn and Brummett are actively seeking out interested companies for licensing rights to the technology and/or working with Osburn to advance research for industrial use of the technology.

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Note. Materials provided above by Texas A&M. Content can be edited for style and length.

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