硝酸鹽及亞硝酸鹽作為食品添加物，可添加於肉製品及魚肉製品中，具有保色與抑制微生物生長等功效。過去文獻曾提出食品中亞硝酸鹽與胺基物質反應可能生成N-亞硝胺化合物，具有致癌性；此外，加工肉製品之硝酸鹽、亞硝酸鹽及N-亞硝胺濃度受烹調溫度、烹調方式及貯存條件影響，如長時間的貯存可能會增加N-亞硝胺生成。而依國人飲食習慣，偏好將未烹煮之食物冷藏存放數天後方烹煮，此皆可能影響食品中硝酸鹽、亞硝酸鹽及亞硝胺濃度，且目前國內對於加工肉製品烹調方式及貯存條件與硝酸鹽、亞硝酸鹽及N-亞硝胺濃度影響資訊仍較為缺乏。因此本研究旨在了解不同烹調方式、貯存天數及溫度對於國人常食用之肉製品中硝酸鹽、亞硝酸鹽及其衍生物含量變化，並計算國人食用肉製品中硝酸鹽、亞硝酸鹽及其衍生物N-亞硝胺之健康風險，以了解國人實際暴露風險，並作為後續風險溝通之科學參考依據。
本研究採集135個樣本，包含豬肉、雞肉、魚肉加工製品，購買後將其在4℃下貯存0天、3天及7天後進行烹調，待不同烹調方式烹調後，將樣本進行均質及前處理，並以分光光度計測定硝酸鹽及亞硝酸鹽濃度，以超高液相層析儀串聯質譜儀(Ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer, UPLC-MS/MS)測定亞硝胺濃度，最後估算國人經食用多種加工肉製品暴露硝酸鹽、亞硝酸鹽及N-亞硝胺之暴露量，並分別以每日可接受攝取量占比(%ADI)及暴露限值(MOE)、終生致癌風險(LCR)進行健康風險估算。
根據135個樣本檢出之硝酸鹽、亞硝酸鹽及七種亞硝胺(NDMA、NMEA、NPYR、NDEA、NPIP、NDBA及NDPA)結果顯示，香腸中硝酸鹽及亞硝酸鹽濃度為最高；臘肉中NDMA及NPYR濃度為最高且遠高於其他加工肉製品；香腸中NDEA濃度為最高；培根及煙燻雞肉中NPIP濃度為最高；培根中NDBA濃度為最高，而NMEA及NDPA則未檢出。硝酸鹽和亞硝酸鹽的濃度隨著貯存時間的延長而有下降的趨勢，而N-亞硝胺則隨著貯存時間的延長而有增加的趨勢。硝酸鹽及亞硝酸鹽較不受烹調條件影響，而香腸經過氣炸及煎的烹調方式後NDMA濃度有上升的趨勢，然經過炒的臘肉NDMA及NPYR濃度有下降的趨勢，NPIP則反之。於健康風險評估結果顯示無論是硝酸鹽或亞硝酸鹽，每日可接受攝取量占比皆小於100%ADI，故無健康風險的疑慮，然N-亞硝胺之MOE結果顯示對於一般民眾而言，同時攝食多種加工肉製品而暴露NDMA、NPYR及NDEA具有潛在健康風險，此外根據LCR的結果，對於一般民眾，NDMA、NDEA暴露亦具有潛在致癌風險；對於各年齡層而言，若每日食用50 g總加工肉製品或單一加工肉製品暴露NDMA及NDEA亦有潛在健康風險。
目前的研究發現，135種加工肉製品中硝酸鹽、亞硝酸鹽和N-亞硝胺的濃度受肉類種類、貯存時間和烹調方式的影響。整體而言，延長貯存時間可能為影響N-亞硝胺含量的一個關鍵因素，其影響大於不同的烹調方法。對於一般民眾而言，每日同時攝食加工肉製品之硝酸鹽與亞硝酸鹽均無健康風險疑慮，但N-亞硝胺暴露量仍可能有潛在健康風險，然對於各年齡層而言，若每日食用50 g總加工肉製品或單一加工肉製品暴露NDMA及NDEA亦有潛在健康風險。此外，對於特殊加工肉製品，如煙燻雞胸肉和含有特殊胡椒及食品添加劑的醃製肉類應關注其攝取健康風險。

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