If you’ve ever walked down the supermarket aisle and compared different brands of bacon, ham, or deli meats, you’ll know this: colour matters. When placed next to other products, a dull grey ham just doesn’t stand out. Consumers associate the familiar pinkish hue of ham and bacon with freshness, flavour, and quality.
But here's the twist: that pink colour is usually the result of nitrites or nitrates—chemical additives commonly used in traditional meat curing.
At Jill’s Sausages, we’ve found a natural way to preserve that classic pinkish colour in our nitrate-free ham and bacon—without using any chemical preservatives or nitrites. Let us explain how.
Why Is Pink Colour Important in Cured Meats?
The pink colour in traditional deli meats is more than just cosmetic—it's a signal of the curing process. In products like bacon, ham, and sausages, it often indicates that nitrites have been used to interact with proteins in the meat to give it that recognisable look.
But at Jill’s Sausages, we don’t use synthetic nitrites or natural nitrite sources like celery powder. Instead, we rely on scientific understanding of meat chemistry to develop a clean-label, additive-free alternative.
The Science Behind Meat Colour
The colour of red meat comes from a protein called myoglobin, which binds to oxygen and gives raw meat a reddish hue. When meat is processed or cooked, oxidative stress causes myoglobin to break down into metmyoglobin, which appears brown or grey.
In traditional curing, sodium nitrite reacts with myoglobin to form nitrosomyoglobin, a stable compound with a bright pink colour—one that doesn’t turn brown even when cooked.
But as we’ve discussed in previous blogs, nitrites and nitrates—whether synthetic or natural—come with health risks and are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as Class 1 carcinogens.
How Does Jill’s Sausages Maintain That Pinkish Hue—Without Nitrites?
The answer lies in our carefully developed blend of natural antioxidants.
We use a natural flavouring ingredient rich in polyphenols—powerful compounds found in foods like fruits, spices, green tea, and vegetables. These polyphenols have antioxidative properties that help stabilise the oxygenated myoglobin in red meat, preventing it from degrading into brown metmyoglobin.
Combined with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), our formula creates a protective environment that maintains the pinkish colour of the meat naturally—without synthetic additives.
This approach does two things:
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Helps our products stay visually appealing on the shelf
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Avoids the use of potentially harmful nitrites and nitrates
Why Doesn’t Chicken or Turkey Turn Pink?
Great question.
Chicken and turkey breast meat contain much less myoglobin compared to red meats like pork or beef. Since the pink colour depends on stabilising myoglobin, white meats like turkey breast or chicken breast won't develop that same rich hue, regardless of curing method—natural or otherwise.
That’s why even in traditionally nitrite-cured products, chicken breast hams remain pale in colour, while pork hams and bacon can take on a rosy pink tone.
Clean Colour Without Compromise
At Jill’s Sausages, we believe that natural should still mean beautiful and delicious. We’ve worked hard in our R&D kitchen to bring you the familiar look and taste of premium cured meats—without compromising on health.
With no nitrites, no nitrates, and no chemical preservatives, our artisanal small-batch meats are proof that clean food can still be a feast for the eyes and the palate.