Understanding the heterocyclic aromatic amines: An overview and recent findings.

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) constitute a group of highly toxic organic compounds strongly associated with the onset of various types of cancer. This paper aims to serve as a valuable resource for food scientists working towards a better understanding of these compounds including formation, minimizing strategies, analysis, and toxicity as well as addressing existing gaps in the literature. Despite extensive research conducted on these compounds since their discovery, several aspects remain inadequately understood, necessitating further investigation. These include their formation pathways, toxic mechanisms, effective mitigation strategies, and specific health effects on humans. Nonetheless, recent research has yielded promising results, contributing significantly to our understanding of HAAs by proposing new potential formation pathways and innovative strategies for their reduction.

Heterocyclic aromatic amines in meat: Formation mechanisms, toxicological implications, occurrence, risk evaluation, and analytical methods.

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are detrimental substances can develop during the high-temperature cooking of protein-rich foods, such as meat. They are potent mutagens and carcinogens linked to an increased risk of various cancers. HAAs have complex structures with nitrogen-containing aromatic rings and are formed through chemical reactions between amino acids, creatin(in)e, and sugars during cooking. The formation of HAAs is influenced by various factors, such as food type, cooking temperature, time, cooking method, and technique. HAAs exert their toxicity through mechanisms like DNA adduct formation, oxidative stress, and inflammation. The research on HAAs is important for public health and food safety, leading to risk assessment and management strategies. It has also led to innovative approaches for reducing HAAs formation during cooking and minimizing related health risks. Understanding HAAs' chemistry and formation is crucial for developing effective ways to prevent their occurrence and protect human health. The current review presents an overview about HAAs, their formation pathways, and the factors influencing their formation. Additionally, it reviews their adverse health effects, occurrence, and the analytical methods used for measuring them.

Effect of beef patties fortification with black garlic on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content and toxic potency.

Nine different black garlic samples aged at varying temperatures and durations were added to the patties at 0.5% and 1% ratios and compared with raw garlic in terms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) formation. The results showed that black garlic caused a reduction in the patties' content of ∑PAH8 by 38.17% to 94.12% compared to raw garlic, with the highest reduction percent in the patties fortified with 1% black garlic aged at 70 °C for 45 days. Beef patties fortified with black garlic reduced human exposure to PAHs from beef patties (from 1.66E to 01 to 6.04E-02 ng-TEQBaP kg-1 bw per day). The negligible cancer risk associated with exposure to PAHs through the consumption of beef patties was confirmed by very low ILCR (incremental lifetime cancer risk) values of 5.44E-14 and 4.75E-12. Finally, patty fortification with black garlic could be suggested as an effective way to reduce PAHs formation and exposure from patties.

Is Ultra-High Temperature Processed Milk Safe in Terms of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines?

Herein, the presence of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in 24 different commercial ultra-high temperature processed (UHT) milk types was investigated. The dry matter and pH values of the samples were also determined. The milk types showed significant differences (p < 0.01) regarding the dry matter, pH values, and individual HAAs and total HAAs. The milk sample dry matter and pH values were in the range of 8.56-13.92% and 6.66-6.91, respectively. The growing up milk samples had the highest dry matter and pH values. While no significant correlation between the total HAAs and dry matter was found, a negative correlation (p < 0.01) between the total HAAs and pH value was determined. Among the tested HAAs, five compounds, (IQx (up to 0.06 ng), IQ (up to 0.10 ng), MeIQx (up to 0.55 ng), MeIQ (up to 1.97 ng), and PhIP (up to 0.39 ng)) were quantified in the samples. The average total HAAs of the samples ranged from 0.13 to 0.67 ng; however, one milk sample (200 mL) contained between 10.10 and 53.35 ng total HAAs. Therefore, it was shown that protein fortification and lactose hydrolysis substantially increased the formation of HAAs in UHT milk.