Influence of temperature on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines in pork steaks

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of grilling temperatures on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in steaks from the pork loin (longissimus lumborum muscle). Grilling was carried out on a double hot plate grill set to the usual grilling temperatures of 120 degrees C to 280 degrees C and stopped when the internal temperature of 72 degrees C was reached. Among individual HAAs, the most abundant was 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo(4,5-b)pyridine (PhIP), as a maximum of 28.62 ng g(-1) pork steak. in general, the total HAA levels increased with increasing grilling temperature. Higher HAA levels were observed at 260 degrees C compared to 240 degrees C, at 13.97 ng g(-1), as a 68.7% increase. The highest total HAA levels were found at 280 degrees C (29.64 ng g(-1) grilled pork steak), as a 258.0% increase compared to 240 degrees C. These data indicate that the formation of potentially carcinogenic HAAs during the grilling of pork steaks can be minimised by the using of lower grilling temperatures (<= 240 degrees C).