The sauerkraut made by Tianshui people may not necessarily have high nitrite content.

If we say that there is a lot of nitrite in sauerkraut, it should be in the early stages of pickling sauerkraut. Generally, when we pickle sauerkraut, we either put the vegetables through boiling water first and wait for them to cool down. Then add salt for pickling, or sprinkle the salt directly on the vegetables and put them in a jar for pickling. In the early stage of pickling, the vegetables are dehydrated and discolored due to the action of salt, and the nitrate component of the vegetables itself turns into nitrous acid under the action of bacteria. During the pickling process of salt and vegetables, the peak period of nitrite concentration is in the previous week. The nitrite concentration begins to decrease after about a week. Usually we eat pickled vegetables after at least a month. At this time, the nitrite concentration is already high. of reduction.