A rethinking of nitrate， nitrite， and nitric oxide for food preservation and human health

作     者：Xiaojing Tian Yanan Tian Shaohua Meng Jiansheng Zhao Lele Shao Yu Li Wenhang Wang 

作者机构：Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Health， Tianjin University of Science & Technology College of Food Science and Engineering， Tianjin University of Science & Technology Henan Shuanghui Investment & Development Co.， Ltd. Key Laboratory of Jianghuai Agricultural Product Fine Processing and Resource Utilization， Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs， Anhui Engineering Research Center for High Value Utilization of Characteristic Agricultural Products， College of Tea & Food Science and Technology， Anhui Agricultural University College of Biotechnology， Tianjin University of Science & Technology 

出 版 物：《Food Science and Human Wellness》 (食品科学与人类健康(英文))

年 卷 期：2025年

核心收录：

学科分类：0832[工学-食品科学与工程（可授工学、农学学位）] 08[工学] 083201[工学-食品科学] 

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32102052) by the Project Program of Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food Quality and Health,China (TJS202303) 

摘      要：Nitrate and nitrite， as long-standing additives used in food industry and particularly prevalent in meat products， are often perceived negatively by consumers due to their potential to produce carcinogenic nitrosamines. Within the past decades， the importance of nitric oxide (NO) has been established for human health， including cardiovascular health， immunizing and defending system， skeletal muscle contraction and relaxation， nervous system， and cognitive function. Gradually， nitrate and nitrite， as the main NO donors， have also been demonstrated to have numerous health benefits in clinical studies. Likewise， NO has showed positive effect on postharvest fruits and vegetables. In view of different controversies， this review comprehensively discussed the effect of nitrate， nitrite on meat products and NO on fruits and vegetables， the intake of nitrate and nitrite by diet， the physiological functions， synthesis and metabolism of nitrate， nitrite， and NO in human body. It is hoped to provide some new understanding for nitrate， nitrite， and NO in food preservation and human health.