Difference between revisions of "Saltpeter"

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|description=Saltpeter is sodium nitrate, a chemical compound with the formula NaNO. It is used as a food preservative and was commonly used as a fertiliser and in the process of making gunpowder
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|description=Saltpeter is chemical compound used as food preservative.
 
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==What is saltpeter?==
 
==What is saltpeter?==
Saltpeter is sodium nitrate, a chemical compound with the formula NaNO3. This was commonly used as a fertiliser and in the process of making gunpowder.  However its culinary use is as a food preservative as it has antimicrobial properties. It is found naturally in leafy green vegetables.  
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Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.
  
It is a toxin and a carcinogen and nowadays its use is heavily restricted (200 parts per million in a finished product).
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It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Potassium nitrate is one of several nitrogen-containing compounds collectively referred to as '''''saltpeter''''' or '''''saltpetre'''''.
  
It would be extremely unwise to use the quantities suggested by Mrs Beeton in her [[Pig's head, boiled (Mrs Beeton's)|pig's head recipe!]]  For the same reason, when salting and curing bacon, I would '''always''' use a proprietary cure mix rather than make my own.
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Major uses of potassium nitrate are in fertilizers, tree stump removal, rocket propellants and fireworks. It is one of the major constituents of gunpowder (blackpowder) and has been used since the Middle Ages as a food preservative.
==A safe saltpetre / sodium nitrate substitute==
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===Food preservation===
Substitute [[ascorbic acid]] or [[vitamin C]] in crystal form (try a good chemist for either of these). In today's 'terrorist-aware' climate, they will be far easier to obtain than salpetre and also have the advantage of being perfectly safe to consume. Use at a ratio of 1 g to 2 kg of meat.
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In the process of food preservation, potassium nitrate has been a common ingredient of salted meat since the Middle Ages, but its use has been mostly discontinued because of inconsistent results compared to more modern nitrate and nitrite compounds. Even so, saltpeter is still used in some food applications, such as charcuterie and the brine used to make corned beef. When used as a food additive in the European Union, the compound is referred to as E252; it is also approved for use as a food additive in the USA and Australia and New Zealand (where it is listed under its INS number 252). Although nitrate salts have been suspected of producing the carcinogen nitrosamine, both sodium and potassium nitrates and nitrites have been added to meats in the US since 1925, and nitrates and nitrites have not been removed from preserved meat products because nitrite and nitrate inhibits the germination of C. botulinum endospores, and thus prevents botulism from bacterial toxin that may otherwise be produced in certain preserved meat products.
  
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===Food preparation===]
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In West African cuisine, potassium nitrate (salt petre) is widely used as a thickening agent in soups and stews such as [[Okra]] soup and Isi ewu. It is also used to soften food and reduce cooking time when boiling beans and tough meat. Salt petre is also an essential ingredient in making special porridges such as kunun kanwa literally translated from the Hausa language as 'salt petre porridge'.
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====Information source====
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* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate Wikipedia]
 
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Revision as of 17:45, 30 May 2016


What is saltpeter?

Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.

It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Potassium nitrate is one of several nitrogen-containing compounds collectively referred to as saltpeter or saltpetre.

Major uses of potassium nitrate are in fertilizers, tree stump removal, rocket propellants and fireworks. It is one of the major constituents of gunpowder (blackpowder) and has been used since the Middle Ages as a food preservative.

Food preservation

In the process of food preservation, potassium nitrate has been a common ingredient of salted meat since the Middle Ages, but its use has been mostly discontinued because of inconsistent results compared to more modern nitrate and nitrite compounds. Even so, saltpeter is still used in some food applications, such as charcuterie and the brine used to make corned beef. When used as a food additive in the European Union, the compound is referred to as E252; it is also approved for use as a food additive in the USA and Australia and New Zealand (where it is listed under its INS number 252). Although nitrate salts have been suspected of producing the carcinogen nitrosamine, both sodium and potassium nitrates and nitrites have been added to meats in the US since 1925, and nitrates and nitrites have not been removed from preserved meat products because nitrite and nitrate inhibits the germination of C. botulinum endospores, and thus prevents botulism from bacterial toxin that may otherwise be produced in certain preserved meat products.

===Food preparation===] In West African cuisine, potassium nitrate (salt petre) is widely used as a thickening agent in soups and stews such as Okra soup and Isi ewu. It is also used to soften food and reduce cooking time when boiling beans and tough meat. Salt petre is also an essential ingredient in making special porridges such as kunun kanwa literally translated from the Hausa language as 'salt petre porridge'.

Information source

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