Comparison of Quality Characteristics of Commercial Hams with Synthetic Nitrite or Naturally Derived Nitrite

This study compared the physicochemical quality characteristics of eight commercially available ham products in Korea, including four products with synthetic nitrite (Nitrite A–D) and four products with naturally derived nitrite (Alternative A–D). In addition, two laboratory-manufactured hams prepared with either sodium nitrite (Nitrite-Lab) or a Chinese cabbage juice-based pre-converted curing solution (Alternative-Lab) were compared with commercial products. Commercial products showed significant variation in pH (6.03–6.54), water activity (0.948–0.959), and salt content (1.46–2.07%), with no consistent trends by nitrite source. CIE a* ranged from 11.71 to 14.92, with most products incorporating additional colorants regardless of nitrite source. Residual nitrite was markedly higher in products with synthetic nitrite (15.71–50.46 mg/kg) than in products with naturally derived nitrite (1.74–9.75 mg/kg). Alternative-Lab showed lower pH (5.83) and CIE a* (10.67) values than commercial products (p<0.05), while its water activity was comparable to that of commercial products (p>0.05). The residual nitrite content of Alternative-Lab was lower than that of Nitrite-Lab (p<0.05). Cured pigment and total pigment contents did not differ between the two laboratory-manufactured hams (p>0.05), whereas the curing efficiency of Alternative-Lab (83.97%) was significantly higher than that of Nitrite-Lab (79.73%; p<0.05). This study indicates that differences in the physicochemical characteristics of commercial ham products may be associated with formulation and processing practices as well as nitrite source. Furthermore, the Chinese cabbage juice-based pre-converted curing system can reduce residual nitrite content while maintaining curing efficiency and cured meat quality comparable to synthetic nitrite.