Quantitative assessment of furosine, furfurals, and advanced glycation end products in different types of commercially available cheeses

Evaluation of potentially harmful Maillard reaction products in different types of commercial formulae

Pasteurisation and spray drying are critical steps to ensure the safety and shelf-life of formulae, but these treatments also induce formation of some potentially harmful Maillard reaction products. In this study, the occurrence of potentially harmful Maillard reaction products and proximate compositions in different commercial formulae were analysed. Our results showed that infant formulae had significantly higher concentrations of furosine, Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and Nε-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL) than follow-on/toddler formula. Specialty formulae had higher concentrations of glyoxal and CML than other types of formulae. Correlation analysis indicated that concentrations of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 3-deoxyglucosone, CML and CEL were closely related to fat contents. These results provided insight into concentrations of potentially harmful Maillard reaction products in different types of formulae and provide a theoretical basis for further optimisation of processing.

Simultaneous determination of advanced glycation end products and heterocyclic amines in roast/grilled meat by UPLC-MS/MS

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and heterocyclic amines (HAs) are main harmful Maillard reaction products of meat products. Simultaneous quantification of both with high sensitivity, selectivity and accuracy remains a major challenge due to inconsistencies in their pre-treatment and instrumental methods and the different polarity of AGEs and HAs. We developed a method for the simultaneous determination of AGEs and HAs in roast/grilled meat by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) using dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (D-MRM). The instrument parameters and pre-treatment method were optimized to achieve reasonably good separation and high response for the 11 target analytes within 8 min. From 10 to 200 ng/mL, the limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantitation (LOQs) ranged from 0.3 to 5.5 μg/L and 0.9 to 6.3 μg/L, respectively, and the correlation coefficient (R2) was >0.99. It was acceptable to recoveries, standard deviations (RSDs), and matrix effects. Six types of roast/grilled meat samples were then tested using the developed method.

Occurrence, Risk Implications, Prevention and Control of CIT in Monascus Cheese: A Review

Monascus is a filamentous fungus that has been used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. When used as an auxiliary fermenting agent in the manufacturing of cheese, Monascus cheese is obtained. Citrinin (CIT) is a well-known hepatorenal toxin produced by Monascus that can harm the kidneys structurally and functionally and is frequently found in foods. However, CIT contamination in Monascus cheese is exacerbated by the metabolic ability of Monascus to product CIT, which is not lost during fermentation, and by the threat of contamination by Penicillium spp. that may be introduced during production and processing. Considering the safety of consumption and subsequent industrial development, the CIT contamination of Monascus cheese products needs to be addressed. This review aimed to examine its occurrence in Monascus cheese, risk implications, traditional control strategies, and new research advances in prevention and control to guide the application of biotechnology in the control of CIT contamination, providing more possibilities for the application of Monascus in the cheese industry.

Dietary advanced glycation end products (dAGEs): An insight between modern diet and health

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are formed by a series of chemical reactions of amino acids, peptides, proteins, and ketones at normal temperature or heated non-enzymatic conditions. A large amount of AGEs derived from Maillard Reaction (MR) during the process of food heat-processing. After oral intake, dietary AGEs are converted into biological AGEs through digestion and absorption, and accumulated in almost all organs. The safety and health risk of dietary AGEs have attracted wide attention. Increasing evidence have shown that uptake of dietary AGEs is closely related to the occurrence of many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease. This review summarized the most updated information of production, bio-transport in vivo, detection technologies, and physiological toxicity of dietary AGEs, and also discussed approaches to inhibit dietary AGEs generation. Impressively, the future opportunities and challenges on the detection, toxicity, and inhibition of dietary AGEs are raised.

Advanced Glycation End Products: A Comprehensive Review of Their Detection and Occurrence in Food

The Maillard reaction (MR) is a complicated chemical process that has been extensively studied. Harmful chemicals known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs), with complex structures and stable chemical characteristics, are created during the final stage of the MR. AGEs can be formed both during the thermal processing of food and in the human body. The number of AGEs formed in food is much higher compared to endogenous AGEs. A direct connection exists between human health and the build-up of AGEs in the body, which can result in diseases. Therefore, it is essential to understand the content of AGEs in the food we consume. The detection methods of AGEs in food are expounded upon in this review, and the advantages, disadvantages, and application fields of these detection methods are discussed in depth. Additionally, the production of AGEs in food, their content in typical foods, and the mechanisms influencing their formation are summarized. Since AGEs are closely related to the food industry and human health, it is hoped that this review will further the detection of AGEs in food so that their content can be evaluated more conveniently and accurately.

Research advances of advanced glycation end products in milk and dairy products: Formation, determination, control strategy and immunometabolism via gut microbiota

Advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) are a series of complex compounds which generate in the advanced phase of Maillard reaction, which can pose a non-negligible risk to human health. This article systematically encompasses AGEs in milk and dairy products under different processing conditions, influencing factors, inhibition mechanism and levels among the different categories of dairy products. In particular, it describes the effects of various sterilization techniques on the Maillard reaction. Different processing techniques have a significant effect on AGEs content. In addition, it clearly articulates the determination methods of AGEs and even discusses its immunometabolism via gut microbiota. It is observed that the metabolism of AGEs can affect the composition of the gut microbiota, which further has an impact on intestinal function and the gut-brain axis. This research also provides a suggestion for AGEs mitigation strategies, which are beneficial to optimize the dairy production, especially innovative processing technology application.

Investigation on the Contents of Nε-carboxymethyllysine, Nε-carboxyethyllysine, and N-nitrosamines in Commercial Sausages on the Chinese Market

Sausages are among the most popular meat products worldwide. However, some harmful products, such as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and N-nitrosamines (NAs), can be formed simultaneously during sausage processing. In this study, the contents of AGEs, NAs, α-dicarbonyls and the proximate composition were investigated in two kinds of commercial sausages (fermented sausages and cooked sausages) in the Chinese market. The correlations among them were further analyzed. The results showed that the fermented and cooked sausages had different in protein/fat contents and pH/thiobarbituric acid reactive substance values due to their different processing technologies and added ingredients. The N^ε-carboxymethyllysine (CML) and N^ε-carboxyethyllysine (CEL) concentrations varied from 3.67 to 46.11 mg/kg and from 5.89 to 52.32 mg/kg, respectively, and the NAs concentrations ranged from 1.35 to 15.88 µg/kg. The contents of some hazardous compounds, such as CML, N-nitrosodimethylamine, and N-nitrosopiperidine, were observed to be higher in the fermented sausages than in the cooked sausages. Moreover, levels of NAs in some sausage samples exceeded the limit of 10 µg/kg issued by the United States Department of Agriculture, suggesting that particular attention should be paid to mitigating NAs, especially in fermented sausages. The correlation analysis suggested that the levels of AGEs and NAs were not significantly correlated in both kinds of sausages.

Investigation on the contents of heat-induced hazards in commercial nuts

The purpose was to investigate the contents of heat-induced hazards by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in 44 commercial nuts. Results showed that content ranges of Acrylamide (AA), 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), N^ε-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), N^ε-carboxyethyl-lysine (CEL), 3-Deoxyglucosone (3-DG), Glyoxal (GO), and Methylglyoxal (MGO) were ND-123.57 µg/kg, 0.57-213.42 mg/kg, 3.18-18.67 mg/kg, 3.98-57.85 mg/kg, 1.5-133.86 mg/kg, 0.45-1.59 mg/kg and 0.29-13.84 mg/kg, respectively. Sunflower seeds contained more heat-induced hazards followed by pistachios, cashews, almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts. The content of 5-HMF was positively correlated with the content of 3-DG. CML exhibited positive correlation with content of GO while no correlation between CEL and MGO. Higher levels of 3-DG and 5-HMF were observed in nuts produced with sugar and honey. Deep processing had a stronger promoting effect on CML and CEL formation. These data could provide a crucial guide for consumers to select nut products which might reduce heat-induced hazards intake.