Processed meat

Methods of meat processing include salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, and/or the addition of chemical preservatives.

It is not known when this took place; however, the process of salting and sun-drying was recorded in Ancient Egypt, while using ice and snow is credited to early Romans, and canning was developed by Nicolas Appert who in 1810 received a prize for his invention from the French government.

[12] In addition to nitrosyl-haem, carcinogenic nitrosamines can be formed from the reaction of nitrite with secondary amines under acidic conditions (such as occurs in the human stomach) as well as during the curing process used to preserve meats.

[13] Nitrate and nitrite are classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and are not directly carcinogenic.

"[5] Reviews of cohort studies have found that processed meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, gastric cancer and stroke.