• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.638-640
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• 2003

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.85-101
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• 1985

1. Nitrate and nitrite may contribute via nitrosation to the human exposure to N-nitroso compounds, especially nitrosamines, which are suspectd to be human carcinogens. 2. Since certain foods contain traces of nitrosamines, one should take the several points into consideration in evaluating the risk. 3. Nitrites, which can appear in the because of natural occurrence or deliberate addition, can react under the acidic conditions of the normal stomach with secondary amines to form nitrosamine. 4. Among the foods esamined, nitrate-nitrite treated meat products cooked bacon, and salted and dried fish are the main contributors of nitrosamines in our diet. 5. Consequently, in order to minimize human exposure to these chemicals, it is obviously essential to develop the alternative sources of nitrite in cured meat products. Thus the emphasis should be placed upon the most effective use of nitrite in curing with the use of acceptable inhibitors of nitrosation such as ascorbc acid or $\alpha$-tocopherol.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.247-258
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• 1994

A total of 31 commercial dried marine food products, consisting of 14 fishes, 2 shellfishes and 2 seaweeds species were analyzed for their contents of precusors of N-nitrosamine such as dimethylamine(DMA), trimethylamine(TMA), trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), betaine and nitrate and nitrite nitrogen as factors of N-nitrosamine formation. Carcinogenic N-nitrosamines were extracted by a steam distillation apparatus and were analyzed for their components using a gas chromatography-thermal energy analyzer. N-nitrosodimethylamine(NDMA) was confirmed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The contents of betaine nitrogen in samples were in the range of $5.2{\sim}373.8mg\%$ and were significantly higher than tertiary amines such as TMA and TMAO. DMA nitrogen in those samples was in the range of trace-31.2ppm and was high, in the dried shark(31.2ppm), alaska pollack($22.9{\sim}24.3ppm$) and octopus($17.9{\sim}18.4ppm$). In dried laver and sea mustard, however, amines were not detected at all. The levels of nitrate nitrogen in the dried marine samples ranged from zero to 16.8ppm and were high in the dried stingray(16.8ppm), alaska pollack(16.3ppm) and squid($2.2{\sim}12.4ppm$), but were less than 1.0 ppm in other samples. The levels of nitrite nitrogen were lower than those of nitrate nitrogen and it was not detected in dried sea cucumber, laver and sea mustard. Twenty eight of 31 samples contained NDMA($range=1.2{\sim}86.0ppb$), which was the only volatile N-nitroso compound found. The NDMA levels of dried stingray($2.8{\sim}86.0ppb$), alaska pollack($8.2{\sim}55.5ppb$), squid($3.3{\sim}53.2ppb$), yellow corvenia($45.9ppb$) and plain dried shrimp($15.4{\sim}17.9ppb$) were high. However, it was not detected in dried sea cucumber, laver and sea mustard. Samples, containing high levels of NDMA, also contained high nitrate and nitrite nitrogen. From above results, it can be concluded that nitrate and nitrite were major factors for the formation of NDMA in dried marine food products.