The creatine values of some RTE samples in our study agreed with values reported by Campo, Gallego, Berregi, and
Casado (1998) who showed creatine levels of 2.31 to 3.25 ng/g in ham
and 0.81 to 2.74 in frankfurter. Deli meat products had high moisture
levels (69 to 76%) followed by hot dogs (47–50%). Pepperoni and
bacon had low moisture levels (24.4% for pepperoni and 15.3% for
bacon). Deli meat contained low levels of fat (less than 10%), and hot
dogs contained approximately 30% fat. Bacon and pepperoni had high
fat content (37.9% for bacon and 44.5% for pepperoni). Protein content
was lowest for hot dogs (10%), intermediate for deli meat products
(20%), and highest for bacon (42.8%).