Sodium nitrite is not really a preservative. It slightly suppress the growth of harmful bacteria, but is not very efficient. It is not as harmful as many think, and even could be very useful as antidot for cyanide poisoning. However, constant excess nitrite supply is not a healthy thing.
The worst thing is that it is widely used just to keep termally processed meat in products like sausages, ham and boiled pork that have to be grey naturally to keep pink color. Just to make meat products look "good" on shelves, nothing more.
EDTA hardly could be used to preserve pink color since it is poorly soluble. In most cases sodium EDTA salt is used, known under brand name "Trilon B". It is very interesting substance. It makes most unsoluble salts of different metals soluble. Could be used to preserve color of apple juice, f.e. or to prevent recolouring of product packed in a tin can due to contact with metal surface.
Trilon B is useful for non-destructive cleaning metal things from rust and as a powerful heavy metal detoxicator.
EDTA has poor solubility until you add a bunch of NaOH. EDTA powder is disodium but in solution it is tetra sodium. Once enough NaOH is added 'poof' the EDTA dissolves. pH8 is typical.
EDTA has poor solubility until you add a bunch of NaOH
That is exactly how you get disodium salt of EDTA AKA Trilon B AKA E386 food additive from EDTA.
That interesting salt prevent appearence of metal compositions that make apples become brown in air in apple juice or colouring tin can contents grey after long contact with metal.
Trilon B does not prevent meat going grey after thermal processing. It is sodium nitrite that is used to prevent that.
You could mix that things in case of canned ham, like SPAM, where both substances added to product. Sodium nitrite added to prevent meat become grey during processing and Trilon B is added to prevent ham miscolouring from walls of tin can.
Sodium nitrite is not really a preservative. It slightly suppress the growth of harmful bacteria, but is not very efficient. It is not as harmful as many think, and even could be very useful as antidot for cyanide poisoning. However, constant excess nitrite supply is not a healthy thing. The worst thing is that it is widely used just to keep termally processed meat in products like sausages, ham and boiled pork that have to be grey naturally to keep pink color. Just to make meat products look "good" on shelves, nothing more.
And to make babies turn blue
EDTA hardly could be used to preserve pink color since it is poorly soluble. In most cases sodium EDTA salt is used, known under brand name "Trilon B". It is very interesting substance. It makes most unsoluble salts of different metals soluble. Could be used to preserve color of apple juice, f.e. or to prevent recolouring of product packed in a tin can due to contact with metal surface.
Trilon B is useful for non-destructive cleaning metal things from rust and as a powerful heavy metal detoxicator.
EDTA has poor solubility until you add a bunch of NaOH. EDTA powder is disodium but in solution it is tetra sodium. Once enough NaOH is added 'poof' the EDTA dissolves. pH8 is typical.
That is exactly how you get disodium salt of EDTA AKA Trilon B AKA E386 food additive from EDTA.
That interesting salt prevent appearence of metal compositions that make apples become brown in air in apple juice or colouring tin can contents grey after long contact with metal.
Trilon B does not prevent meat going grey after thermal processing. It is sodium nitrite that is used to prevent that.
You could mix that things in case of canned ham, like SPAM, where both substances added to product. Sodium nitrite added to prevent meat become grey during processing and Trilon B is added to prevent ham miscolouring from walls of tin can.