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Although nitrites are the nitrogen compound chiefly used in meat curing, nitrates are used in certain specialty curing processes where a long release of nitrite from parent nitrate stores is needed. The use of nitrates in food preservation is controversial.
Normally, sodium nitrate in vegetables does not pose the same health risk as nitrites found in processed meat. The nitrites added to processed meats as preservatives and color enhancers can combine with proteins called amines to form compounds called nitrosamines.itrosamines have shown cancer-causing potential in animal studies. Nitrates and nitrites themselves do not have cancer-causing potential. Vegetables contain ascorbic acid, a form of vitamin C and an antioxidant which helps prevent nitrosamine formation, although it might not completely prevent it.