Introduction
Food is another source of nitrite due to technological process (smoking) to preparation (frying) or to bacterial induction (in fish). It is for these reasons that nitrites are used in food factories for its antimicrobial preservative and favouring effect as a food additive for several fish,
meat, and cheese products.‘ Nitrite salt used to cure meats has several historical and economic aspects until of recent when the practice has been found to be potentially hazardous. Human exposure to nitrite arise from its use as a good food additives where it perf’orn1s a very useful
function in protecting the consumer from pathogenic micro-organisms such as clostridium botulinum- Some untreated food stuffs like tomatoes, beef and potatoes also contain nitrite though at lower levels.” Other sources of nitrite are beer (alcohol), malt, tinned food, processed foods, cured meat and beer. This paper is mainly concerned with the first i.e. beer.
