Wiltshire curing with and without nitrate

Abstract

Summary Unsmoked bacon has been made by a factory Wiltshire process incorporating hand pumping and immersion using brines with and without nitrate and with diminishing concentrations of nitrite. The quality and stability of the bacon during storage in vacuum packs has been compared. Curing with a nitrate‐free brine containing 26% salt and 1000 ppm nitrite produced back bacon with 57–81 ppm nitrite and approximately 4% salt in the lean and this, when sliced and vacuum packed, was still acceptable after 5 weeks at 5°C and 2 weeks at 15°C. Brines with nitrite concentrations of 500 ppm and less gave back bacon which was more prone to souring during storage due to increased growth of lactic acid bacteria.