Influence of green tea marinades on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines and flavour of pan-fried beef

Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines (HAAs) are described as genotoxic carcinogens associated with important types of human cancer in meat-eating populations, such as cancer of breast, colon or pancreas. These compounds are formed in cooked meats through pyrolysis reactions of different amino acids in the presence or absence of creatin(in)e and sugars. They can be divided in two classes, aminoimidazole-azaarenes (AIAs) and amino-carbolines (ACs). AIAs formation is the result of complex reactions that involve creatine, free amino acids and carbohydrates through the Maillard Reaction. ACs are produced from pyrolysis of proteins or amino acids heated at high temperature (>250oC). Several studies indicate that AIAs formation can be reduced by addition of compounds with an antioxidant potential. Thus, the addition of natural products containing antioxidants that may act as free radical scavengers reduces the amount of AIAs in the heatprocessed meat. Studies of the effect on ACs formation are scarce, but meat marinating with alcoholic drinks, such as, beer and red wine can reduce significantly the formation of ACs and AIAs [1]. Marinating implies preincubation with a fluid of some sort to impart flavor prior to cooking.