Occurrence of nitrates in milk products-review

Danka Spirić; Srđan Stefanović; Čaba Silađi; Radivoj Petronijević; Dejana Trbović; Nikola Borjan; Dunja Videnović

doi:10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.55

Danka Spirić Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6008-7625
Srđan Stefanović Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8011-5654
Čaba Silađi Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1933-3849
Radivoj Petronijević Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3901-3824
Dejana Trbović Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9357-7789
Nikola Borjan Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4067-3755
Dunja Videnović Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2638-247X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.55

Keywords: nitrates, milk products, nitrosamines

Abstract

This review explores the role of nitrates, primarily sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate, in cheese production, particularly for semi-hard and hard cheeses. Nitrates are added as food additives to control microbial growth and prevent defects caused by gas-producing bacteria. The initial spike of nitrate levels during cheese production decreases over time, with trace levels remaining in the final product. Various regulations around the world dictate nitrate levels in cheese, with notable differences between the EU and the US. Nitrates can also originate from natural and environmental sources, influenced by cows' diets and agricultural practices. Furthermore, nitrates act as antimicrobial agents during cheese ripening, supporting product quality by inhibiting spoilage bacteria. There are several techniques used to analyse nitrates (NO3-), including spectrophotometers, Raman spectrometry, infrared and per fluorometrically-interferon- irradiated (IR and FTIR) spectroscopy, AAS, fluorophotography, chemical luminance, mass spectrometry, MECA, EPR, and NMR, Gas-Liquid Chromatography (GLC) with Electron-Capture Detector (ECD), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection.