The nitrite content of pickled vegetables is highest when pickled for 14 to 20 days.

Nitrite is a general term for a class of inorganic compounds. Mainly refers to sodium nitrite, which is white to light yellow powder or granular, slightly salty in taste and easily soluble in water. Its appearance and taste are similar to table salt, and it is widely used in industry and construction. It is also allowed to be used as a coloring agent in meat products in a limited amount.

The probability of food poisoning caused by nitrite is high. Ingestion of 0.2 to 0.5 grams of nitrite can cause poisoning or even death.

It is worth noting that high doses of nitrite can still be very toxic. Accidentally eating nitrite can cause nitrite food poisoning, and long-term use can even cause esophageal cancer and gastric cancer.

Moreover, scientists still lack clinical trials to prove that nitrite can treat diseases such as heart disease. Therefore, scientists are actively recruiting volunteers for clinical trials and are beginning to look for suitable drug manufacturers to develop nitrite drugs.

Nitrite has preservative properties and can combine with myoglobin in meat to make it more stable. Therefore, it is often added to sausages and bacon as a color-preserving agent in the food processing industry to maintain a good appearance. .

Secondly, it can prevent the production of Clostridium botulinum and improve the safety of eating meat products. However, excessive absorption of nitrite by the human body will affect the operation of red blood cells, causing the blood to be unable to carry oxygen, and the lips and fingertips will turn blue, which is commonly known as "blue blood disease". In severe cases, the brain will be deprived of oxygen, and even die.

Nitrite itself is not carcinogenic, but under cooking or other conditions, nitrite in meat can degrade with amino acids to form nitrosamines, which are highly carcinogenic.