Bìa tạp chí

Website: https://vjfc.nifc.gov.vn/

009bet

Evaluation of nitrite (NO2-) content in some street food (processed meat) and its exposure to student in Hanoi

Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai ,  Dinh Thi Diu ,  Duong Thi Hanh ,  Pham Thi Khuyen , 
Received: 25 Dec 2025
Revised: 14 Mar 2026
Accepted: 31 Mar 2026
Published: 28 Sep 2026

Article Details

How to Cite
Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai, Dinh Thi Diu, Duong Thi Hanh, Pham Thi Khuyen. "Evaluation of nitrite (NO2-) content in some street food (processed meat) and its exposure to student in Hanoi". Vietnam Journal of Food Control. vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 209-215, 2026
PP
209-215
Counter
17

Main Article Content

Abstract

Processed meats, known for their delicious flavors and convenience, have become a popular choice in the daily diet of young people. Food additives, containing nitrite, are added to processed meat to preserve food quality over time. However, high nitrite levels in food can pose health risks due to their potential to form carcinogenic nitrosamines. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate the nitrite content in frequently consumed food in streets that are consumed by young people in Hanoi. The results show that the mean nitrite content ranges from 1.0 to 25.5 mg/kg, with the highest average nitrite content found in Chinese sausages, followed by sausages. The average nitrite content in meatballs, grilled seafood cake, and cartilage sausages is below 3.1 mg/kg. These values are lower than the permissible limits according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The health risk assessment for adult indicates that intake of nitrite is lower than the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of nitrite of 0.07 mg/kg b.w/day for processed meats that sold in both supermarkets and street vendors.

Keywords:

NO2, processed meats, food street, health risk.

References

[1]. N. F. H. J. Abd Hamid, M. M. Khan, and L. H. Lim, “Assessment of nitrate, nitrite and chloride in selected cured meat products and their exposure to school children in Brunei Darussalam,” Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, vol. 91, Art. no. 103520, 2020.
[2]. K. Miyamoto and M. Nagahama, “Clostridium: Food poisoning by Clostridium perfringens,” in Encyclopedia of Food and Health, B. Caballero, P. M. Finglas, and F. Toldrá, Eds. Oxford, U.K.:
Academic Press, Elsevier, pp. 149–154, 2016.
[3]. N. S. Bryan and J. Loscalzo, Eds., Nitrite and Nitrate in Human Health and Disease. Totowa, NJ, USA: Humana Press, 2011.
[4]. T. Leth, S. Fagt, S. Nielsen, and R. Andersen, “Nitrite and nitrate content in meat products and estimated intake in Denmark from 1998 to 2006,” Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, vol. 25, no. 10, pp. 12371245, 2008.
[5]. European Parliament and Council of the European Union, “Directive 95/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 February 1995 on food additives other than colours and sweeteners,” Official Journal of the European Communities, L 61, pp. 1–40, 1995.
[6]. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Food additive and GRAS regulations (21 CFR Parts 170–186): Sodium nitrite,” updated Feb. 13, 2025. Silver Spring, MD, USA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://hfpappexternal.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/index.cfm?set=FoodSubstances&id=SODIUMNITRITE
[7]. Ministry of Health of Vietnam, “Circular No. 24/2019/TT-BYT on the management and use of food additives,” Hanoi, 2019.
[8]. Z. Bahadoran, P. Mirmiran, S. Jeddi, F. Azizi, A. Ghasemi, and F. Hadaegh, “Nitrate and nitrite content of vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, dairy products, meats and processed meats,” Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, vol. 51, pp. 93–105, 2016.
[9]. N. V. Ly and K. T. P. Thao, “Study on the establishment of procedure for determining nitrite contents in food by kinetic catalytic spectrophotometric method,” Journal of Science and Technology, Hue University, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 33–43, 2017 (in Vietnamese).
[10]. L. T. K. Tiến and N. V. Ly, “An analysis and evaluation for nitrate, nitrite contents in some kinds of processed food circulated in Hue City,” Journal of Science and Technology, Hue University, vol. 74B, no. 5, pp. 185–191, 2012 (in Vietnamese).
[11]. L. T. Thao, P. T. K. Anh, and N. T. T. Phuong, “Determination nitrite content in some foods by spectrophotometer method,” Hanoi University of Industry Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 17, no. 11, pp. 45–50, 2019 (in Vietnamese).
[12]. T. D. N. Hoang, H. S. Trinh, and T. T. H. Ngo, “Fast food and beverage consumption among people aged 15–25 years old before and during COVID-19 pandemics in rural and urban areas in Hanoi,” Vietnam Journal of Nutrition and Food, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 1–8, 2022.
[13]. Commission of the European Communities, Report from the Commission on Dietary Food Additive Intake in the European Union, COM(2001) 542 final. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2001.
[14]. V. Miller et al., “Global, regional, and national consumption of animal-source foods between 1990 and 2018: Findings from the Global Dietary Database,” The Lancet Planetary Health, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. e243e256, Mar. 2022, Elsevier, doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00352-1.
[15]. N. T. H. Ngoc, B. C. Tien, T. T. Giang, and T. C. Son, “Premised research on dietary exposure to benzo[a]pyrene, acrylamide, and N-nitrosodimethylamine from common fried and grilled dishes in North Vietnam,” Vietnam Journal of Food Control, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 613–626, 2024.
[16]. W. Hazaa, F. Shaltout, and M. El-Shater, “Prevalence of some chemical hazards in some meat products,” Benha Veterinary Medical Journal, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 32–36, 2019.
[17]. R. M. Mazumdar, M. Sharif, T. A. Khan, M. M. Rahman, and A. T. M. Abdullah, “Simultaneous determination of nitrite and nitrate in meat and meat products using ion-exchange chromatography,” Food Research, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 145–152, 2022.
[18]. N. Öztekin, M. S. Nutku, and F. B. Erim, “Simultaneous determination of nitrite and nitrate in meat products and vegetables by capillary electrophoresis,” Food Chemistry, vol. 76, no. 1, pp. 103–106, 2002.
[19]. J. Hsu, J. Arcot, and N. A. Lee, “Nitrate and nitrite quantification from cured meat and vegetables and their estimated dietary intake in Australians,” Food Chemistry, vol. 115, no. 1, pp. 334–339, 2009.
[20]. J. Kureljušić et al., “Nitrites in meat products in Serbia: Harmful or safe?” Foods, vol. 14, no. 3, Art. no. 489, 2025.
[21]. J. Suomi et al., “Quantitative risk assessment on the dietary exposure of Finnish children and adults to nitrite,” Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 41–53, 2016.
[22]. A. Elias et al., “Nitrite and nitrate content in meat products and estimated nitrite intake by the Estonian children,” Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, vol. 37, no. 8, pp. 1229–1237, 2020.
[23]. G. İşçi, “Health risk assessment of nitrite and nitrate residues in processed meat products from the Turkish market,” Food Research International, vol. 227, Art. no. 118110, 2026.
[24]. S. Kotopoulou, A. Zampelas, and E. Magriplis, “Risk assessment of nitrite and nitrate intake from processed meat products: Results from the Hellenic National Nutrition and Health Survey (HNNHS),” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 19, Art. no. 12800, 2022.

 Submit