In polymer chemistry and Process Engineering, curing refers to the toughening or hardening of a polymer material by cross-linking of polymer chains, brought about by chemical additives, ultraviolet radiation or heat. In rubber, the curing process is also called vulcanization. Polymer is a generic term used to describe a very long molecule consisting of structural units and repeating units connected by covalent chemical bonds. ... // Introduction The fundamental component of chemistry is that it involves matter in some way (this explains its broad reach). ... “Process engineering is about applying engineering approaches, techniques, and tools to the construction of Process Models. ... Note: Ultraviolet is also the name of a 1998 UK television miniseries about vampires. ... Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion (known as latex) in the sap of a number of plants but can also be produced synthetically. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In food preparation, curing refers to various preservation and flavoring processes, especially of meat or fish, by the addition of a combination of salt, sugar and either nitrate or nitrite. Many curing processes also involve smoking. The etymology of the term is unclear, but it is thought to derive from the same Latin cura, -ae that the other meanings of cure do. Various preserved foods Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent foodborne illness while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavor. ... Flavor (AmE) or flavour (CwE) is the sensory impression of a food or other substance. ... Meat is animal tissue (mainly muscle) used as food. ... Groups Conodonta Hyperoartia Petromyzontidae (lampreys) Pteraspidomorphi (early jawless fish) Thelodonti Anaspida Cephalaspidomorphi (early jawless fish) Galeaspida Pituriaspida Osteostraci Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) Placodermi Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) Acanthodii Osteichthyes (bony fish) Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) Actinistia (coelacanths) Dipnoi (lungfish) A fish is a poikilothermic (cold-blooded) water-dwelling... Edible salt is mostly sodium chloride (NaCl) Edible salt is a mineral, one of the few rocks people eat. ... Magnified view of refined sugar crystals. ... In inorganic chemistry, nitrates are the salts of nitric acid. ... // Definition The nitrite ion is NO2-. A nitrite compound is one that contains this group, either an ionic compound, or an analogous covalent one. ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Smoking Smoking is the process of curing, cooking, or seasoning food by exposing it for long periods of time to the smoke from a wood fire. ...

Curing with salt and sugar may be called salting, salt-curing, sugar-curing or honey-curing. The application of pellets of salt, called "corns", is often called corning. Curing in a water solution or brine is called wet-curing or pickling or brining. The curing of fish is sometimes called kippering. Brine is water saturated or nearly saturated with salt. ... Pickling is the process of preparing a food by soaking and storing it in a brine containing salt, acid (usually vinegar), or both, a process which can preserve otherwise perishable foods for months. ... In cooking, brining is a process similar to marination in which meat is soaked in a salt solution (the brine) before cooking. ... A kipper is a fish which has been split from tail to head, eviscerated, salted, and smoked. ...

Salt inhibits the growth of microorganisms which cause spoilage by drawing water out of microbial cells through osmosis. As the unwanted bacterial population decreases, other beneficial bacteria, primarily of the Lactobacillus genus, come to the fore and generate an acidic environment (around 4.5 pH). The sugar included in the cure is used as food by the lactobacilli; generally dextrose is preferred over glucose, or table sugar, because it seems to be more thoroughly consumed by the bacteria. This process is in fact a form of fermentation, and, in addition to reducing further the ability of the spoilage bacteria to grow, accounts for the tangy flavor of some cured products. Concentrations of salt up to 20% are required to kill most species of bacteria. ... Osmosis is the diffusion of a solvent through a semipermeable membrane from a region of low solute concentration to a region of high solute concentration. ... Species L. acidophilus L. bulgaricus L. plantarum L.reuteri etc. ... The correct title of this article is pH. The initial letter is capitalized due to technical restrictions. ... A space-filling model of glucose Glucose, a simple monosaccharide sugar, is one of the most important carbohydrates and is used as a source of energy in animals and plants. ... Glucose (Glc), a monosaccharide, is one of the most important carbohydrates. ... In its strictest sense, fermentation (formerly called zymnosis) is the anaerobic metabolic breakdown of a nutrient molecule, such as glucose, without net oxidation. ...

Smoking adds chemicals to the surface of an item which affect the ability of bacteria to grow, inhibit oxidation (and thus rancidity), and improve flavor.

Nitrates and nitrites not only help kill bacteria, but also produce a characteristic flavor, and give meat an appealing pink or red color. Nitrate (NO₃), in the form of either sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate, is used as a source for nitrite (NO₂). The nitrite further breaks down in the meat into nitric oxide (NO), which then binds to the iron atom in the center of myoglobin's heme group, preventing oxidation. The presence of nitrates and nitrites in food is controversial due to the development of nitrosamines when the food, primarily bacon, is cooked at high temperatures. The nitrate and nitrite compounds themselves are not harmful, however, and are among the antioxidants found in fresh vegetables. The usage of either compound is carefully regulated in the production of cured products; in the United States, their concentration in finished products is limited to 200 ppm, and is usually found to be below. Finally, they are irreplacable in the prevention of botulinum poisoning from consumption of dry-cured sausages. Sodium nitrate is a type of salt(NaNO3)which has long been used as an ingredient in explosives and in solid rocket propellants, as well as in glass and pottery enamel, and as a food preservative (such as in hot dogs), and has been mined extensively for those purposes. ... R-phrases   S-phrases   Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... The chemical compound nitric oxide is a gas with chemical formula NO. It is an important signaling molecule in the body of mammals including humans, one of the few gaseous signaling molecules known. ... Myoglobin is a single-chain protein of 153 amino acids, containing a heme (iron-containing porphyrin) group in the center. ... A hæm or heme is a metal-containing cofactor that consists of an iron atom contained in the center of a large heterocyclic organic ring called a porphyrin. ... Nitrosamines are carcinogenic chemical compounds of the chemical structure R2N-N=O. Nitrosamines are produced from nitrites and amines. ... An antioxidant is a chemical that prevents the oxidation of other chemicals. ... Botulism (from Latin botulus, sausage) is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin, botulin, that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. ...

Salted meat and fish are commonly eaten as a staple of the diet in North Africa, Southern China and in the Arctic where they are associated with nasopharyngeal cancer caused by infection by the Epstein-Barr Virus. One study hypothesizes that the actual vector is anaerobic bacteria found in salted fish, Article in The Scientist, Volume 13, No. 6:1, Mar. 15, 1999 (registration required). Salt cod, which was in addition air-dried in cool northern Europe, was a civilization-changing food product, in that a bountiful but perishable food supply could be converted to a form that allowed wide travel and thus exploration. Salt-cured meat or salted meat, for example ham, bacon or kippered herring, is meat or fish preserved or cured by salt or brine. ... The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also called Human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4), is a virus of the herpes family (which includes Herpes simplex virus and Cytomegalovirus), and is one of the most common viruses in humans. ... An anaerobic organism or anaerobe is any organism that does not require oxygen. ...

Some cured meat products:

• Prosciutto
• Bresaola
• Salami
• Lomo
• Salt cod
• Chorizo
• Linguiça
• Pepperoni
• Capicola
• Ham
• Lardo
• Bacon and Pancetta
• Lox (salmon)

Cured vegetable products: Prosciutto Prosciutto (also known as Parma ham) is a dry-cured ham from central and northern Italy and other Adriatic countries -- Slovenia (Kras), Croatia (Dalmatia) and Montenegro, where it is called pršut. ... Bresaola (also known as beef prosciutto outside Italy) is air-dried salted beef fillet that has been aged about 2-3 months until it becomes very hard and a dark red, almost purple colour. ... Salami Salami is a sausage of Italian origin. ... LOMO or Leningradskoye Optiko Mechanichesckoye Obyedinenie (Leningrad Optical Mechanical Union) is an advanced optical manufacturer in St. ... Chorizo Chorizo is a pork sausage originating from Spain. ... Linguiça (lean-GWEE-sah) is a form of Portuguese pork sausage seasoned with onions, garlic, and pepper. ... In English, pepperoni refers to a spicy Italian-American variety of dry salami made of pork. ... Capicola is a thinly sliced Italian luncheon meat, taken from the shoulder of a pig. ... Ham with cloves Technically, ham is the thigh and buttock of any animal that is slaughtered for meat, but the term is usually restricted to a cut of pork, the haunch of a pig or boar. ... Bacon is any of certain cuts of meat taken from the sides or back or belly of a pig, or Beef Cattle, cured and possibly smoked. ... Pancetta is an Italian form of bacon. ... Lox is salmon, typically a filet, that has been cured, and then often it is cold smoked. ...

• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Pickled cucumbers

See also: Food preservation, smoking Sauerkraut and sausage on a plate Sauerkraut is finely sliced white cabbage fermented by Lactobacillus bacteria. ... Kimchi or gimchi or kimchee is a traditional Korean dish of fermented chile peppers and vegetables, usually based on cabbage. ... Various preserved foods Food preservation is the process of treating and handling food in such a way as to stop or greatly slow down spoilage to prevent foodborne illness while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavor. ... Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Smoking Smoking is the process of curing, cooking, or seasoning food by exposing it for long periods of time to the smoke from a wood fire. ...

Notes

McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking (revised). New York, NY: Scribner, 2004. ISBN 0-684-80001-2

External links

• National Center for Home Food Preservation - How do I...Cure & Smoke