N ‐Nitrosothiazolidine and N ‐Nitrosothiazolidine‐4‐Carboxylic Acid in Smoked Meats and Fish

ABSTRACT Various smoked meats including raw and fried bacon and both unsmoked and smoked (uncured) fish were analyzed for NThZ and NTCA. Most meat samples, bacons, and a few smoked fish contained traces of NThZ and considerably high (up to 13,700 ppb) levels of NTCA. Preliminary results indicated that raw bacons processed by old‐fashioned direct smoking methods contained the highest (> 1,000 ppb) level of NTCA. Formation of NThZ from the NTCA present in smoked bacon increased with an increase in frying temperature as well as with frying time. NTCA level in the raw bacon and the cooking conditions seemed to be the most important factors involved in the formation of NThZ in the fried bacon. The reason for finding only insignificant levels of NThZ in smoked fish could not be established conclusively.