Effect of sterilization conditions on the formation of furan and its derivatives in canned foods with different substrates

Analysis and Formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Canned Minced Chicken and Pork during Processing

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent important toxic compounds formed in meat products during processing. This study aims to analyze 22 PAHs by QuEChERS coupled with GC-MS/MS in canned minced chicken and pork during processing. After marinating raw minced chicken and pork separately with a standard flavoring formula used for canning meat in Taiwan, they were subjected to different processing conditions including stir-frying, degassing and sterilizing at 115 °C/60 min (low-temperature-long-time, LTLT) and 125 °C/25 min (high-temperature-short-time, HTST). The quantitation of PAHs in these meat products revealed the formation of only three PAHs including acenaphthylene (AcPy), acenaphthene (AcP) and pyrene (Pyr) in canned minced chicken and pork during processing with no significant difference in total PAHs between the meat types. Analysis of PAH precursors showed the presence of benzaldehyde at the highest level, followed by 2-cyclohexene-1-one and trans,trans-2,4-decadienal in canned minced chicken and pork, suggesting PAH formation through the reaction of benzaldehyde with linoleic acid degradation products and of 2-cyclohexene-1-one with C4 compounds through the Diels-Alder reaction, as well as the reaction of trans,trans-2,4-decadienal with 2-butene. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were present in the largest proportion in LTLT-sterilized chicken/pork, followed by HTST-sterilized chicken/pork and raw chicken/pork, and their levels did not show a high impact on PAH formation, probably due to an insufficient heating temperature and length of time. A two-factorial analysis suggested that PAH formation was not significantly affected by the sterilization condition or meat type. Principal component analysis corroborated the observed results implying the formation of PAHs in canned minced chicken/pork under different processing conditions with an insignificant difference (p > 0.05) between them, with the individual PAH content following the order of Pyr > AcPy > AcP.

Analytical methods, risk assessment, and mitigation strategies for furan in processed foods in various countries

This article provides an overview of analytical methods for measuring furan levels in food. Given the potential carcinogenicity of furans in humans, several studies have focused on assessing furan levels in various food products. In this review, we specifically examine furan levels in foods that are central to regional culinary traditions and summarize the results of country-specific risk assessments. Consequently, we have identified foods that contribute significantly to dietary furan exposure in each region. Coffee and baby foods, regardless of region, emerged as the primary sources of furan intake among adults and infants, respectively. Several previous studies have been conducted to develop various mitigation strategies aimed at reducing exposure to furan through food intake. Therefore, in this paper, we categorize effective mitigation strategies into two main groups: alterations to processing conditions and the addition or removal of food additives and ingredients.