Comparative analysis of food heating techniques on purine release in beef

Abstract

Beef is widely believed to be high in purines and should be restricted in the daily diet of hyperuricemia population. In this study, we measured and analysed the purines in beef which treated with several thermal techniques or their combination, including steam heating at 100 °C, 120 °C and 140 °C, microwave heating on low, medium and high fire, and infrared heating at 120 °C, 130 °C and 140 °C. In comparison with raw beef, steam heating at 100 °C (P < 0.0001), high fire microwaved heating (P < 0.0001), and infrared heating at 130 °C (P < 0.0001) reduced the total purine sharply, especially the uricogenic purines. And the superposition of steam heating such as SM (P = 0.002) and SI (P = 0.004) slightly decreased purine contents more than other combinations. Additionally, there were apparent differences in total purines upon the gastrointestinal digestion of processed beef. These provide a viable diet alternative for decreasing the purine contents in beef and which could be essential for managing high uric acid levels for hyperuricemia and gout.