What is BS 4401-7-Determination of nitrate content in meat and meat products about?
BS 4401 is a British standard on methods of test for meat and meat products that discusses the determination of nitrate content in meat and meat products to ensure meat and meat products are safe for consumption.
BS 4401-7 is the seventh part of the BS 4401 series that specifies a reference method for the determination of the nitrate content of meat and meat products.
The method under BS 4401-7 is applicable to all meat products, other than those having an unusually high content of strongly reducing substances.
Strongly reducing substances (e.g., ascorbic acid, ascorbates) tend to reduce nitrite under the acidic conditions obtained in this method. If the content of reducing substances is much higher than that which has normally resulted from the manufacturing processes hitherto applied, the results obtained by this method could be misleading.
Who is BS 4401-7-Determination of nitrate content in meat and meat products for?
BS 4401-7 on the determination of nitrate content in meat and meat products is useful for:
- Meat and meat products manufacturers
- Food scientists
- Food technologists
- Food laboratories
- Food health and safety departments
Why should you use BS 4401-7-Determination of nitrate content in meat and meat products?
Nitrate content is defined as the quantity of nitrate determined by the procedure described. Nitrate content is expressed as milligrams of potassium nitrate per kilogram (parts per million).
Nitrate can affect how our blood carries oxygen. High levels can turn skin to a bluish or grey colour and cause more serious health effects like weakness, excess heart rate, fatigue, and dizziness.
BS 4401-7 provides you with guidance on apparatus, sample, the procedure for the preparation of the test sample, preparation of the cadmium column, precipitation of protein, reduction of nitrate to nitrite, expression of results, calculation, test report, etc.
The reference method and procedures provided by BS 4401-7 assist you in the determination of nitrate content in meat and meat products, improving the quality and subsistence of meat and meat products and ensuring a reduction in the risk to human health due to the consumption of nitrate content.
With obedience and compliance to BS 4401-7, you can enhance meat and meat products’ effectiveness and efficacy and manufacture a standardized high-quality product.