Japanese knotweed extract can reduce the carcinogenic risk of processed meat

Health-conscious diners may choose bacon again, thanks to a seemingly impossible savior: Japanese knotweed

This fast-growing plant is concerned by homeowners due to its ability to invade gardens and buildings

Leading scientists, including the University of Reading, are looking for alternative diets.

In order to reduce the carcinogenic compound nitrite added to preserve meat, the PHYTOME project has developed a series of sausages and hams that are mixed with plants and fruits, which are added with rosemary, green tea and resveratrol (a kind from Japanese knotweed Extracted extract)

In addition to developing cooked red meat and dry-cured red meat that substitute these natural substitutes for nitrite, the project also tested whether these substitutes are as effective as normal nitrite levels in processed red meat

In a paper published in "Molecular Nutrition and Food Research", an international team of scientists tested the comparison of this specially formulated product with traditionally processed red and white meat

They found that the signs of nitrite content in the feces of the participants were significantly lower than those of the two specially formulated meats, and the levels were similar to those of those who were fed the least processed white meat

Gunter Kuhnle, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Reading, said:

"Continuing concerns about highly processed red meat tend to focus on the role of nitrite and its link to cancer.

"Our latest findings indicate that the use of natural additives in processed red meat can reduce the production of cancer-related compounds in the body

"It is surprising that even though red meat still contains nitrite, natural additives seem to have some protective effects

The research team’s main consideration is, as found in previous studies, how the nitrate content in drinking water significantly affects the formation of nitrite

The research team controlled this by controlling the moisture content during the trial and tested participants with low-nitrate and high-nitrate brines during different test periods

By controlling drinking water, the results show that PHYTOME red meat produces lower nitrite content than traditional red meat or unprocessed white meat

Molecular Nutrition & Food Research

DOI

10.