Sodium nitrate

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Sodium nitrate (E251) used as a curing agent in processed meats and cured fish; it converts to nitrite during the curing process, which then inhibits Clostridium botulinum growth and gives cured meats their characteristic pink color. Like nitrite, it can form potentially carcinogenic N-nitrosamines — particularly when the food is cooked at high temperatures in the presence of amines. The IARC classifies consumption of processed meats containing nitrates/nitrites as a Group 1 carcinogen (sufficient evidence in humans).