Chinese chive and Mongolian leek suppress heterocyclic amine formation and enhance nutritional profile of roasted cod

Polyphenols as reactive carbonyl substances regulators: A comprehensive review of thermal processing hazards mitigation

Reactive carbonyl species (RCS) are a class of compounds with one or more C = O structures with highly reactive electrophilic properties. This comprehensive review delves into the multifaceted role of RCS in thermally processed foods, where they serve as both crucial intermediates in the development of food color and flavor, as well as precursors of potentially harmful compounds. By exploring the carbonyl pool concept, the impact of RCS equilibrium on the formation and reduction of hazardous substances such as acrylamide, hydroxymethylfurfural, advanced glycation end-products, and heterocyclic amines was elucidated. The review particularly emphasizes the regulatory effects of polyphenols on the carbonyl pool, highlighting their potential to reduce the levels of RCS and their associated hazards. Furthermore, the dual role of polyphenols in both mitigating and enhancing to the formation of RCS and their associated hazards was discussed. This review offers valuable insights into strategies for inhibiting RCS and their associated hazards.

A comprehensive review of structure-activity relationships and effect mechanisms of polyphenols on heterocyclic aromatic amines formation in thermal-processed food

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are potent carcinogenic substances mainly generated in thermal-processed food. Natural polyphenols have been widely used for inhibiting the formation of HAAs, whereas the effect of natural polyphenols on HAAs formation is complex and the mechanisms are far from being clearly elucidated. In order to clarify the comprehensive effect of polyphenols on HAAs, this review focused on the structure-activity relationships and effect mechanisms of polyphenols on the formation of HAAs. In addition, the effects of polyphenols on HAAs toxicity were also first reviewed from cell, gene, protein, and animal aspects. An overview of the effect of polyphenol structures such as parent ring and exocyclic group on the mitigation of HAAs was emphasized, aiming to provide some valuable information for understanding their effect mechanism. The HAAs formation is inhibited by natural polyphenols in a dose-dependent manner largely through eliminating free radicals and binding precursors and intermediates. The inhibitory effect was probably affected by the quantity and position of hydroxyl groups in the aromatic rings, and polyphenols with m-hydroxyl group in the aromatic ring had the stronger inhibitory effect. However, the presence of other substituents and excessive hydroxyl groups in natural polyphenols might mitigate the inhibitory effect and even promote the formation of HAAs. This review can provide theoretical reference for effectively controlling the formation of HAAs in thermal-processed food by natural polyphenols and reducing their harm to human health.

Effect of marinating with green tea extract on the safety and sensory profiles of oven-baked oyster

Baked oyster is a popular seafood dish around the world. The present study investigated the effect of various concentrations of a green-tea extract (GTE) marinade on the safety and sensory profiles of oysters baked for different durations. The results showed 10 g/L of GTE and 10-min baking time was the optimal combination, as supported by significantly attenuated lipid oxidation (35.29 %) and Nε-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL) content (48.51 %) without appreciable negative impact on the sensory or nutritional quality of the oysters. However, high concentrations of the marinade or prolonged baking promoted protein oxidation and Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) formation likely through the pro-oxidative action of the GTE phytochemicals. Correlation analysis further revealed the main factors that affected CML, CEL, and fluorescent AGEs generation, respectively. These findings provide theoretical support for the protective effect and mechanism of GTE against quality deterioration of baked oysters and would help broaden the application of GTE in the food industry.

Dual functional roles of nutritional additives in nutritional fortification and safety of thermally processed food: Potential, limitations, and perspectives

The Maillard reaction (MR) has been established to be a paramount contributor to the characteristic sensory property of thermally processed food products. Meanwhile, MR also gives rise to myriads of harmful byproducts (HMPs) (e.g., advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and acrylamide). Nutritional additives have attracted increasing attention in recent years owing to their potential to simultaneously improve nutritional quality and attenuate HMP formation. In this manuscript, a brief overview of various nutritional additives (vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, dietary fibers, and miscellaneous micronutrients) in heat-processed food is provided, followed by a summary of the formation mechanisms of AGEs and acrylamide highlighting the potential crosstalk between them. The main body of the manuscript is on the capability of nutritional additives to modulate AGE and acrylamide formation besides their traditional roles as nutritional enhancers. Finally, limitations/concerns associated with their use to attenuate dietary exposure to HMPs and future perspectives are discussed. Literature data support that through careful control of the addition levels, certain nutritional additives possess promising potential for simultaneous improvement of nutritional value and reduction of AGE and acrylamide content via multiple action mechanisms. Nonetheless, there are some major concerns that may limit their wide applications for achieving such dual functions, including influence on sensory properties of food products, potential overestimation of nutrition enhancement, and introduction of hazardous alternative reaction products or derivatives. These could be overcome through comprehensive assay of dose-response relationships and systematic evaluation of the diverse combinations from the same and/or different categories of nutritional additives to establish synergistic mixtures.

Attenuation of allergenicity of roasted cod with Allium spp.: characterization of principal anti-allergenic constituent and action mechanism

Cod is rich in high-quality proteins and is a popular ingredient in many cuisines. However, it has also been a culprit in many seafood allergy cases. In the present study, the effect of pretreatment with Allium powders on the allergenicity and sensory profile of roasted cod was investigated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed significantly reduced antibody-binding capacity of the Allium-pretreated samples compared with the control. The anti-allergenic effect was further confirmed with indirect ELISA using human sera. Moreover, the Allium pretreatments resulted in lower free sulfhydryl contents and higher surface hydrophobicity of the protein extracts prepared from the roasted cod samples, consistent with structural changes in favor of reduced allergenicity. Among the five Allium spp. evaluated, Chinese chive was the most effective, and mangiferin was identified to be a major anti-allergenic constituent. Docking simulation and mass spectrometry analyses revealed its strong parvalbumin-binding affinity and capability to reduce parvalbumin content in roasted cod, respectively. Finally, sensory evaluation indicated that the attenuation of allergenicity of roasted cod with the Allium spp. powders was accompanied by positive modulation of its flavor and taste profiles. These findings may provide insights for the development of dietary-phytochemical-based strategies for the management of parvalbumin-associated allergies.

Chitosan and flavonoid glycosides are promising combination partners for enhanced inhibition of heterocyclic amine formation in roast beef

The effects of different kinds of chitosan, oligomer (ChiO) and monomer (Gluco), and the combinations of polymer (Chi) or ChiO with flavonoid aglycones and glycosides against the formation of major HAs were investigated to find out potential combination partners for enhanced suppression of HA formation. Results in roast beef patties showed ChiO and Gluco significantly inhibited PhIP and MeIQx formation by 43-80% and 31-57%, respectively. Of which, ChiO was the most effective. In combinations with flavonoid glycosides (phloridzin, rutin and hesperidzin, respectively), Chi, but not ChiO, generated enhanced inhibitory effects. Further analysis showed Chi and phloridzin combined at a ratio of 1:1 was the most promising, especially in inhibiting PhIP, and the mechanism behind involved: 1) water retention by Chi, and 2) reduction of phenylalanine availability by phloridzin. These findings suggest that appropriate combination of Chi and flavonoid glycosides contributes to significant improvement in the safety of meat products.

Using Adinandra nitida leaf extract to prevent heterocyclic amine formation in fried chicken patties

Adinandra nitida leaf extract (ANE) is rich in phenols and flavonoids. In this study, the effects of ANE as an additive on the formation of major heterocyclic amines (HCAs), namely, PhIP, norharman and harman, in both chemical model systems and fried chicken patties were explored. In model systems, treatment with various amounts of ANE (0, 15, 30, 45, 60 mg) led to the most effective inhibition of PhIP, norharman and harman, with levels reduced by 47.88%, 49.73% and 29.63% when treated with 45 mg, 60 mg and 60 mg, respectively. Further, the effect of diverse dosages of ANE (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6%, w/w) on the formation of HCAs in chicken patties fried at 170 °C and 190 °C was evaluated. Statistics showed that the temperature significantly increased the formation of HCAs. Total HCA contents of patties fried at 170 °C and 190 °C ranged from 1.52 ng g-1 to 2.52 ng g-1 and from 6.05 ng g-1 to 13.76 ng g-1, respectively. The inhibitory efficacy of various concentrations of ANE on the total HCA content was higher (38.95-56.03%) in patties fried at 190 °C than at 170 °C (18.65-40.08%). External parts of the meat patties showed higher HCA contents than the interior. The current study presents evidence that ANE at moderate dosages can reduce the formation of HCAs in fried chicken. By extension it suggests that ANE has potential applications as a natural antioxidant for preventing the formation of HCAs in foods.

A novel potent inhibitor of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b] pyridine (PhIP) formation from Chinese chive: Identification, inhibitory effect and action mechanism

Differential solvent extraction and phytochemical profiling of Chinse chive were employed to identify its principal PhIP-formation inhibitory constituents. Six compounds (mangiferin, isorhamnetin, luteolin, rosmarinic acid, 6-methylcoumarin, and cyanidin-3-glucoside) were further analyzed in a PhIP-producing chemical model to identify the dominant inhibitor. Its inhibitory mechanism was investigated by assessing the contribution of antioxidation and scavenging of key PhIP precursor/intermediate. No significant correlation was observed between PhIP inhibition rates and antioxidant activities. Further evaluation of the novel potent inhibitor mangiferin revealed a highly significant correlation between its dose-dependent inhibition of PhIP formation and phenylacetaldehyde scavenging. Finally, the proposed mechanism was corroborated through organic synthesis and structural elucidation of the mangiferin-phenylacetaldehyde adduct. This study has identified a potent novel inhibitor of the most abundant HA in heat-processed food and characterized its action mechanism. These findings may provide insight for future studies on mitigation of dietary exposure to toxic Maillard products by polyphenolic phytochemicals.