We dared to ask the questions many people are afraid to about this summer favorite. We got in touch with meat scientist Janeal Yancey, PhD, and blogger at Mom at the Meat Counter because not only is Dr. Yancey an expert in meat science, but she also worked at a hot dog plant and has first-hand experience of how they are made. She told us her experience did not change her love for hot dogs.

“I eat hot dogs and feed them to my family. I enjoyed working in the hot dog plant, except that I smelled like hot dogs every day!” Dr. Yancey said.

We decided to ask Dr. Yancey some of your scariest hot dog questions.

What’s in a hot dog?

Dr. Yancey: “Hot dogs can be made with different types of meat, and if you want to know what’s in a hot dog, you just need to look at the ingredient statement. Most of the time, hot dogs are made with skeletal meat, which are trimmings of the same type of meat that makes ground meat, steaks and roasts. The trimmings are ground up really fine, which is what gives them that homogenous texture. Salt is added to the meat, giving the mixture a sticky texture. The proteins within the meat stick to each other, and then water is added. The hot dog mixture also has added nitrites, which give the hot dog a pink color and specific flavor. Nitrites also help protect the hot dog from the bacteria that causes botulism. There are all sorts of flavors added to hot dogs, and each hot dog company has their own unique recipe for what makes their hot dogs taste special.”

For more information about nitrites, see What is Nitrite? and Nitrates in Processed Meats

Hot dogs are made up of a bunch of different leftover animal parts, right?

Dr. Yancey: “This isn’t really true. Hot dogs are made of animal parts, but they aren’t leftovers. They’re the same stuff that you would make into ground beef or ground pork. The trimmings used to make hot dogs are pieces of the meat that don’t make good steaks and roasts because they aren’t a certain tenderness, size, shape or weight.”

There’s nothing to fear in your hot dog. @MeatCounterMom explains it’s all on the package.
Click To Tweet

What about the really cheap hot dogs?

Dr. Yancey: “Really inexpensive hot dogs are usually made with a meat source called mechanically separated chicken. It’s a process that uses mechanical means to pull the muscle off the bone in chicken. It’s a very inexpensive source of protein. It’s not an unsafe or unwholesome product, it’s just a cheaper protein source.”

How are hot dogs made?

Dr. Yancey: “In the hot dog plant, workers grind the trimmings and mix up all the ingredients and the salt, and add some water. Sometimes they’ll even add ice to the hot dog mixture because during the grinding process, the mixture can get warm, so adding ice helps keep it at the right temperature. Then, they run it through a special machine that sucks the air out of the mixture and grinds it up really fine.”

How do hot dogs get their shape?

Dr. Yancey: “The mixture is then stuffed into long tubes. most hot dogs are stuffed into a plastic casing, and machines stuff the hot dog in and twist the casing that makes the hot dogs into links. They are then cooked in those casings, and once cooked, they put them in a machine called a peeler. The peeler peels the hot dogs from the casings very fast! After they’re cooked, the mixture takes the shape of that casing. Once you pull the casing off, you have that round hot dog shape. On a hot dog, those wrinkles on the end are from where the casing was twisted.”

Are hot dogs safe to eat?

Dr. Yancey: “Hot dogs are really safe to eat. They are cooked to a safe temperature before they leave the plant. The packaging room, where the hot dogs go after they’re cooked, is treated similarly to an operating room. The workers must wear clean suits, hair nets and gloves. The rules and regulations for the sanitation are really stringent because the plant must deliver a safe product. That’s what’s great about a hot dog – it’s a safe, ready-to-eat product. You can cook it again – you can grill it, microwave it, boil it, etc., but you don’t have to. Hot dogs are super safe. As a side note, just to be extra safe, pregnant women should not eat hot dogs and deli meats, without heating them up first, because of a bacteria rarely found in those products.”

Are hot dogs healthy?

Dr. Yancey: “You can look at the nutrition label when choosing to purchase hot dogs. Hot dogs are a good inexpensive source of protein. They aren’t a lean cut and they aren’t a health food, but they are a good source of inexpensive protein.”

Hot dogs are made from meat trimmings which are ground into a fine mixture with other ingredients added for flavor. The mixture is poured into a casing to create the shape. Hot dogs are a cheap source of protein and are safe to eat with or without additional cooking.

This video from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council shows how hot dogs are made.

Originally posted April 7, 2015.

The post What’s in a Hot Dog? appeared first on Best Food Facts.

What are nitrates and nitrites?

Dr. MacDonald: “Nitrogen is an essential element for all forms of life. The nitrogen cycle wherein nitrogen is used and released involves the formation of nitrates and nitrites by plants, animals and microorganisms.

“There are several forms of nitrates in nature. These three are naturally occurring:

• Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas and is created in the atmosphere by lightning and radiation, it is carried into the soil by rain. Humans and most animals also utilize nitric oxide as a regulatory molecule. For example, NO is essential for proper functioning of the cells that line arteries and veins. In fact, nitroglycerin, a form of nitrates, has been used for many decades as a medication to treat angina because it causes relaxation of blood vessels.
• Nitrite (NO₂) is formed by microorganisms in the soil as they breakdown animal matter and is widely found in plant foods and drinking water. This is the major form that would be found in our diets.
• Nitrate (NO₃) is present in natural mineral deposits such as saltpeter.

“In our bodies, nitrate that is consumed in foods or water can be converted to nitrites by oral bacteria which are then absorbed and used to make nitric oxide. Nitrates are efficiently absorbed from the stomach and intestines into the blood, but the majority is excreted through the urine. A balance of nitrate levels is maintained by this system.”

How are nitrates used in foods?

Dr. MacDonald: “Nitrates are used primarily in the curing of meats to maintain the color of red meats and to block the growth of the deadly bacteria Clostridium botulinum that can thrive in oxygen-deprived environments such as occur in cured meats.”

Should we be concerned about consuming nitrates?

Dr. MacDonald: “The amount of nitrates added to cured meats is magnitudes less the amounts of nitrates we consume in plant foods. The acceptable daily intake of nitrate is in the range of about 260 mg for a 150-pound adult. One hot dog has about 10 mg of nitrates, so consuming even three hot dogs will not come close to the amount that would be considered high. In fact, eating a cup of spinach provides nearly 140 mg of nitrates, which is much higher than the amount in three hot dogs.”

Plants often contain more nitrates than meats do.
Click To Tweet

What are natures nitrates or preservatives that are used in food? Are they safe?

Dr. MacDonald: “Natural nitrates are really no different chemically than the nitrates used in food processing. The body sees them exactly the same. Because plants are rich sources of nitrates, some food processors have begun using celery juice as a way to ‘naturally cure’ meats. The action of the nitrates from celery is exactly the same as the synthetic nitrates. It is important that if people are trying to naturally cure their own meats using plant-derived nitrates that they ensure the amount of nitrates is sufficient to inhibit Clostridium. It may not be possible to know the amount of nitrates in the plant juice and the amount can vary depending on how the plant was grown. Clostridium botulinum releases a deadly toxin, so it is not wise to take changes on using a natural cure if you are not positive it contains enough nitrate to be effective.”

Are there health concerns about consuming too many cured meats?

Dr. MacDonald: “Cured meats have been a target for health concerns recently. The evidence suggests that in cultures where the diets include regular (daily) consumption of meats that have been cured, smoked, and salted have higher risks of stomach cancer. It is difficult to separate the exact cause and effect of this relationship because of the many variables. It is known that smoked foods contain a variety of potential cancer-causing compounds, and high salt intakes cause damage to the stomach lining that may be related to cancer progression. There is no evidence that nitrate-cured meats, in particular, increase the risk of cancer in the US. Given the small amount of nitrates that are contributed from cured meats, in comparison to vegetables and drinking water, is seems unreasonable to be concerned about eating foods that are preserved with nitrates.”

What should people keep in mind when choosing deli and cured meats?

Dr. MacDonald: “A diet that is balanced with a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, lean meats and legumes, dairy and whole grains continues to be the best recommendation for a healthy lifestyle. Consuming deli meats, sausages, ham and even hot dogs in moderation is unlikely to increase overall disease risk.”

Nitrates are used to cure meats and prevent deadly bacteria from developing. Nitrates naturally occur in many plants. Synthetic nitrates and plant-derived nitrates are used exactly the same by the body. Consuming cured deli meats in moderation can be part of balanced diet.

The post Nitrates in Processed Meats: What’s the Risk? appeared first on Best Food Facts.

You may have recently heard about the World Health Organization’s announcement regarding processed meats being carcinogenic or cancer-causing. Here are the top three things you should know about this announcement.

1. There Are Many Different Types of Meats Included in the Report

The report is in reference to processed meat and red meat. Processed meat is defined as any meat that’s been “transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking or other processes to enhance flavor or improve preservation.” Red meat is beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton or goat.

2. Carcinogen Classification Can be Confusing

In the report, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a well-known and respected agency of the World Health Organization, groups processed meat in the same carcinogenic group as smoking and alcohol and red meat in the same group as ultraviolet radiation. It’s important to remember that this classification indicates the hazard level of red and processed meats as it relates to cancer, but not the potential risk or how potent a carcinogen red and processed meats are. 

While the report found that daily consumption of processed meat (50 grams or 3 slices of bacon) may raise the risk of colorectal cancer, this was an increase by 18 percent (.18), not to 18 percent (18.0). According to the National Cancer Institute, an average American’s lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 4.5 percent. If you were to consume 50 grams of processed meat daily, your possible risk would increase to 5.3 percent, which is very low.

3. This Doesn’t Mean You Should Avoid Red and Processed Meats; Moderation is Key

If you are eating a diet that is high in meat products and processed meats, you may want to consider cutting back a bit. However, you don’t need to eliminate them. They can be enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced and active lifestyle.

_{Image: Bacon by cyclonebill is licensed by CC BY SA 2.0.}

The post 3 Things You Need to Know About Processed Meats and Cancer appeared first on Best Food Facts.