Curing Agents
Sodium or potassium nitrate
Parameters
- Named in the chart as
- Sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate
- Chart entries
- 1
- Purposes
- Source of nitrite
- Curing agent
- yes
9 CFR 424.21, chart at paragraph (c). eCFR as in force on 2026-01-01, retrieved 2026-09-04.
This entry covers 2 substances
9 CFR 424.21(c) names these jointly rather than separately, so Sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate share one row, one purpose and one permitted amount. Everything below applies to either of them, and a product using one is subject to the same figure as a product using the other.
They are not interchangeable in practice, though. The chart is a permission, not a statement that the two behave alike: which one a process uses changes how quickly the curing agent becomes available, which is why the retail cures are sold as two different blends.
Permitted uses and amounts
| Class | Purpose | Products | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curing Agents | Source of nitrite | Cured meat products other than bacon. Nitrates may not be used in baby, junior, and toddler foods. Cured, comminuted poultry or poultry products | 7 lb to 100 gal pickle; 31⁄2 oz to 100 lb meat or poultry product (dry cure); 23⁄4 oz to 100 lb chopped meat or poultry. |
What this means in parts per million
The chart states its curing-agent limits as a weight of salt against a weight of meat. Converted, using the exact definitions of the pound and the ounce:
| Product class | ppm | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Chopped or comminuted meat, meat byproduct or poultry | 156.25 | 9 CFR 424.21(c), curing agents |
| Dry cure applied to whole muscle | 625.00 | 9 CFR 424.21(c), curing agents |
| Bacon, injected or massaged | 120.00 | 9 CFR 424.22(b)(1) |
| Bacon, immersion cured | 120.00 | 9 CFR 424.22(b)(2) |
| Bacon, made with dry curing materials | 200.00 | 9 CFR 424.22(b)(3) |
The arithmetic is set out on the ingoing nitrite calculator, along with the one chart figure this site declines to convert.
Source: Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), Title 9, 9 CFR 424.21. Parsed from eCFR XML as in force on 2026-01-01, retrieved 2026-09-04. Read the section