Effects of Cooking Variables on Formation of Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) in Roasted Pork and Mackerel

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of cooking temperature, time, and water content on the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCA) in roasted pork and mackerel using a kinetic model. The levels of 2-amino-6-methyldipiryd[1,2-a:3',2'-d]imidazole (Glu-p-1), 1-methyl-9H-pyrido[4,3-b]-indol (harman), 9H-pyrido[4,3-b]-indol (norharman), and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b] pyridine (PhIP) in pork and mackerel rose with increasing cooking temperature and time. The concentration of PhIP ranged from 6 to 54 ng/g in roasted pork and was the HCA most sensitive to cooking temperature and time. In the roasted mackerel, levels of harman and norharman increased markedly at 230 degrees C. The kinetics of HCA generation followed first-order reaction (A = A0 x e-kt). In roasted pork, activation enthalpies (H) ranged from 10.3 to 41.6 kJ/mol, whereas in roasted mackerel, H ranged from 12.3 to 49.3 kJ/mol. The activation entropies (S) were less than zero for all HCA, ranging from -159 to -309 kJ/mol-K. The data of the kinetic parameters may be used to predict the formation and temperature sensitivity of HCA in roasted pork and mackerel.