The researchers studied what happens to nitrite in cured meat. They found that most of the added nitrite ends up as different compounds in the meat, with only a small amount remaining unidentified. By separating pork into different fractions and adding sodium ascorbate, they discovered that the unidentified nitrite mostly comes from the reaction between the meat fractions, nitrite, and sodium ascorbate. This shows how nitrite behaves in cured meat and how different factors can affect its fate.