Bacterial nitric oxide synthase in colorizing meat products: Current development and future directions

Abstract

Nitrite has been widely used in meat products for its abilities including color formation, antimicrobial properties, flavor formation and preventing lipid oxidation. However, the possible generation of N-nitrosamines through reaction of nitrite with secondary amines arises many concerns in the usage of nitrite. For a long time, nitrite substitution is unsettled issue in the meat industry. Many attempts have been tried, however, the alternative solutions are often ephemeral and palliative. In recent years, bacterial nitric oxide synthase (bNOS) has received attention for its critical roles, especially in reddening meat products. This comprehensive background study summarizes the application of bNOS in colorizing meat products, its functions in bacteria, and methods of regulating the bNOS pathway. Based on this information, some strategies for promoting the nitric oxide yield for effectively substituting nitrite are presented, such as changing the environmental conditions for bacterial survival and adding substrate. Thus, bNOS is a promising nitrite substitute for color formation, and further research on its other roles in meat needs to be carried out to obtain the complete picture.

Keywords:

• Color formation
• nitrite substitution
• fermented meat product
• nitric oxide yield
• oxidative stress

Authors’ contributions

Pan Huang identified and interpreted the literature sources and drafted the manuscript. Huiting Luo and Conggui Chen collected relevant research and review papers. Peijun Li and Baocai Xu performed proofreading and the final edit of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant number 32172235; the National Key R&D Program of China under grant number 2019YFC1605902; and the Major Science and Technology Program of Anhui, China under grant number 2021d06050001.