Sodium metabisulfite is a compound used as an antioxidant agent in many drug formulations. It is also widely used as a food preservative and disinfectant.
Sodium metabisulfite, a commercially produced salt of sulfuric acid, has adverse effects on some people, particularly asthmatics, but is a preservative used to extend the shelf life of meat products such as fresh sausages and hamburgers. Some countries do not allow the use of sodium metabisulfite in meat products.
Chemically, sodium metabisulfite contains 67 percent sulfur dioxide. When sodium metabisulfite is applied to a meat product, the compound instantly reacts with water and generally some sulfur dioxide is lost as a result of numerous reactions. For this reason, meat products are not analyzed according to their sodium metabisulfite content. Instead, the sulfur dioxide level is measured. Food standards refer to a product's sulfur dioxide level rather than its sodium metabisulfite level.
The degradation of sulfur dioxide in a meat product primarily depends on the microbiological condition of the meat and fat materials used and the storage temperatures to which the meat product is exposed. Excess bacterial levels in fresh meat product rapidly reduce sulfur dioxide levels and significantly shorten overall shelf life.
Most food standards worldwide express the level of sodium metabisulfite found in a meat product as sulfur dioxide, and about 50-55 percent of the sodium metabisulfite added is present as sulfur dioxide in the finished meat product soon after a meat product has been produced.
In terms of health, sodium metabisulfite causes an asthma-like allergy, long-term exposure causes asthma attacks with shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and chest tightness. Sodium metabisulfite may irritate the lungs. After a series of allergic reactions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FAD) has banned sulfites, such as sodium bisulfite, from fresh foods. Still, many manufacturers continue to use these food additives. However, sodium metabisulfite has proven to be problematic.
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