Changes in L-carnitine content of fish and meat during domestic cooking

Human adults store around 20 g of L-carnitine. In the human body, L-carnitine is not metabolized but excreted through the kidney. Lost L-carnitine has to be replenished either by a biosynthetic mechanism or by the consumption of foods containing L-carnitine. Today, there is no official recommended daily allowance for L-carnitine but the daily need for L-carnitine intake has been estimated in the wide range of 2-12 mu mol/day/kg body weight for an adult human. In this study we evaluated the effect of freezing and of different cooking methods on the L-carnitine content of red meat and fish. L-carnitine was abundantly present in all beef products analyzed. The amounts in the various cuts were similar and our data showed that freezing or cooking did not modify L-carnitine content. Salmon contained about 12 times less L-carnitine than beef but except in smoked salmon, cooking or freezing did not alter L-carnitine content. This study confirms the important role that meet products play for providing adequate amount of L-carnitine to the human body. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.