Effect of cooking temperature on the formation of heterocyclic amines in fried meat products and pan residues.

Fried meat contains high quantity of carcinogenic and mutagenic heterocyclic amines.

Heterocyclic amine is a carcinogenic agent associated with increased risk of colorectal, breast, stomach, pancreas, and urinary bladder cancer. This study investigated the concentrations of heterocyclic amines (IQ, MelQx, DiMelQx, and PhlP) in different meat dishes. Researchers fried bacon, meatballs, falusausage, sliced beef, pork chops, pork belly, and ground beefs at cooking temperatures (150, 175, 200, and 225 degree Celsius) commonly used by households in Stockholm. The heterocyclic amine content in the different fried meat dishes was measured.

Researchers observed that larger amounts of MelQx, DiMelQx, and PhlP were formed in the different meat dishes at higher cooking temperatures. On the other hand, higher amounts of IQ were formed at moderate temperatures. Higher concentrations of heterocyclic amines were found in the pan residues than in the corresponding piece of meat in this study. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that well-cooked meat contain large amount of heterocyclic amines, which may promote the development of cancerous cells in the colon, rectum, breast, pancreas, stomach, and urinary bladder.