RESUMO
Nitrite is a common additive used during meat curing to prevent microbial contamination and retain an attractive red color in the product. However, the effects of nitrite on Fenton reactions catalyzed by free iron in meat products are not well understood, although such processes can induce protein oxidation and nitration, affecting the nutritional and aesthetic quality of meat products. This contribution reveals the mechanism through which nitrite affects Fenton reactions that generate reactive nitrogen and oxygen species by increasing the availability of Fe3+, facilitating its reduction and stabilizing Fe2+, and accelerating Fe3+/Fe2+ cycling, leading to exacerbated oxidative and nitrosative stress on proteins, with implications not only for meat processing but also in many biological and environmental processes due to the ubiquitous presence of iron, hydrogen peroxide, and nitrite in nature.