Formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines with the structure of aminoimidazoazarenes in food products

Thermal food processing has many beneficial consequences, although it also produces some unintentional undesired effects, such as the formation of potentially mutagenic and carcinogenic substances. Among them, the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) has been related to the declared carcinogenicity of processed meats. In spite of this importance, HAA formation pathways remain mostly unknown, which avoids the design of targeted procedures to inhibit HAA appearance. The objective of this review is to collect information recently appeared that allow advancing in the understanding of how these compounds are produced. Particularly, the possibility that aminoimidazoazarenes are produced similarly to PhIP is discussed, including their formation by cyclizations and oligomerizations of aldehydes and creatinine under usual cooking conditions. Present data suggest that HAA formation might be related to the pool of carbonyl compounds existing in foods, the food carbonylome, which can be controlled by carbonyl-trapping agents, such as amine and phenolic compounds.