Factors That Affect the Content of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines in Foods

Abstract

This review compiles the contents of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in foods and beverages, collected from literature data along the period from 1992 up to 2009. Also, it describes the factors that affect the formation of HAAs in foods, such as the cooking method, including temperature, time, and frequency of turning of meat, during cooking. Other factors depending on the type of food and the recipe followed are pH, amounts of HAA precursors, types of amino acids, presence of certain divalent ions, and content of substances with enhancing or inhibiting effects on the formation of HAAs. In addition, there are other factors, which depend on the type of food, such as muscle tissue and the presence of certain genes, since the RN − allele in pigs increases the glycogen content of muscle. The dispersion of the bibliographic data is evident, and there are scarce data, even no data, referred to individual HAAs. Considering that the diverging results can be due to several causes, possible recommendations are given in order to prevent the dispersion of the results and to achieve more valuable information, applied to determine the HAAs exposure. Although there are not direct indications that HAAs represent a serious health risk to the population, and common cancers are produced by many factors including xenobiotics, all measures to minimize the formation of HAAs should be foreseen, some of which are indicated.

Mechanisms Linking Colorectal Cancer to the Consumption of (Processed) Red Meat: A Review

“…The final concentration of HCAs formed in heated meat and fish via the Maillard reaction with creati(ni)ne, amino acids, and sugars depends on many factors including cooking method, cooking time and temperature, the concentration of HCA precursors, and presence of water and fat in the raw product (Alaejos and Afonso, 2011) The nitrenium ion formed during metabolization is considered the likely ultimate genotoxic compound binding to the DNA bases producing DNA adducts through the formation of N-C bonds at guanine bases (Goldman and Shields, 2003;J€ agerstad and Skog, 2005). The most abundant HCAs in cooked meat are PhIP and MeIQx.…”

Preventive Practices from Field and Shelf to Fork to Minimize Chemical Hazards Dietary Intake

“…However, they may also appear in other food products for example pan residues, soup cubes, meat drippings, processed flavors, sauces, cheese products, coffee, alcoholic beverages, etc. [94]. They are usually formed via the Maillard reaction and are considered probable or reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens, with some regarded mutagenically hundred and thousand-fold more active (Ames test) than the strongly mutagens aflatoxin B1 and benz(a)pyrene.…”

Acid-labile protein-adducted heterocyclic aromatic amines in human blood are not viable biomarkers of dietary exposure: A systematic study

“…Nutrient data within WISP were also updated to include values for the commonly consumed HCAs (MeIQx, DiMeIQx and PhIP) assigned to the newly updated food codes and cooking methods. Information on HCA content was obtained from the CHARRED online database (US National Cancer Institute, 2015) and a second published database (Alaejos and Afonso, 2011). HCA values were applied directly to 'meat only' food codes and, for composite dishes, were calculated from disaggregated meat content using published data (Fitt et al, 2009) or estimated from average percentage meat content in commercial dishes available from UK supermarkets.…”