Curing salt (or pink salt or Prague powder #1) is mixture of salt and sodium nitrate that is used to preserve or cure meats or in the making of sausages. It contains 93.75% table salt and 6.25% sodium nitrite. The sodium nitrite in curing salt is used to stop the growth of "Clostridium botulinum" in order to prevent botulism. Curing salt may be dyed pink preventing it from being confused with table salt.