Prior to the availability of refrigeration, foods, particularly fish and meat, were preserved by salting, marinating or pickling. Through a decrease in water activity, meat and fish were protected against microbial spoilage and other deteriorative processes. It was the process of treating meat with rock salt that led to modern curing practices (Cassens 1990). Thus, meat curing, historically defined as the addition of salt (sodium chloride) to meat, is now referred to as the intentional addition of nitrite and salt to meat. Although meat constitutes a major ingredient in such products, color stabilizers, sweetening agents, non-meat extenders, seasonings, acidulants, smoke and other adjuncts might be added to enhance the.
