Vol. 5, Issue 2, Part A (2023)

Comminuted beef is widely consumed in Brazil and its quality is a reason for constant concern as preservatives like nitrite and sulfite are added to prolong commercial validity or even to mask odors. Thus, this work aimed to identify the presence of sulfite and nitrite from 42 samples of fresh ground and chilled beef acquired at retail companies (21 samples) and small grocery stores (21 samples) in the city of Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. Official Methods for the Analysis of Products from Animal Origin and methods for food analysis from Instituto Adolfo Lutz were applied. 17 (40.47%) specimens demonstrated nitrite and 6 (14.28%) contained sulfite; that is, in 54.76% of the analyzed samples the presence of one from the two preservatives was observed. Noteworthy, in none of the samples were both additives simultaneously observed. The pH values were between 5.3 and 6.2. Regarding quality and freshness, 7 (16.66%) sampling presented ammonia and 5 (11.9%) unpleasant odors (ammonia or hydrogen sulfide) during cooking. After cooking the 17 samples in which nitrite was detected, significant depletion was found in all of them (Student's t test, p<0.05). Residual nitrite content average before cooking was 0.301 mg.kg^-1, and post-cooking 0.163 mg.kg^-1. Percentage, post-cooking reduction ranged from 14.53% to 64.34%. Conclusively, both sulfite and nitrite were observed in the retail trade of fresh ground beef; as well as nitrite levels varied before and after cooking. Finally, greater action and regulation by supervisory agencies is suggested.