Recent Research Which combustion gas CO, NO, or NO2 causes surface pinking on smoked or gasoven cook

1
Daren Cornforth Professor Nutrition Food
Sciences Utah State University Courses taught
Food Chemistry Meat Technology
Recent Research - Which combustion gas (CO, NO,
or NO2) causes surface pinking on smoked or
gas-oven cooked meat? Answer Only NO2
(nitrogen dioxide), by way of the Acid Rain
Reaction. 2 NO2 (in combustion gas) H2O (in
meat) ---gt HNO2 (nitrous acid) HNO3 (nitric
acid) Meat Curing HNO2 Mb (myoglobin in
meat) ---gt NOMb (pink cured meat pigment) In
commercial practice, sodium nitrite (NaNO2) is
the source of nitrous acid NaNO2 (curing salt)
in water ---gt Na NO2- (nitrite ion) ---gt
HNO2 (in the curing brine) Thus, we now know that
meat curing may occur by exposing meat to NO2
(gas cure) or NaNO2 (salt cure). Contrary to
previous belief, exposing cooked meat to carbon
monoxide (CO) or nitric oxide (NO) does not cause
pinking. American Indian jerky is thus an
ancient method to gas cure meat. Knowing this,
processors can now better control meat color.
For BBQ meats, desirable surface pinking requires
burning of wood chips, since a high temperature
flame is needed to create NO2 from N2 and O2 in
air. To prevent pinking, use a smouldering fire
without flame, or in a gas oven, use the new
ultra-low NOx burner to keep NO2 lt 1 ppm.
Reference Cornforth, D. P., Rabovitser, J. K.,
Ahuja, S., Wagner, J. C., Hanson, R., Cummings,
B. and Chudnovsky, Y. 1998. Carbon monoxide,
nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide levels in gas
ovens related to surface pinking of beef and
turkey. J. Agric. Food Chem. 46255-261.