Quantification of process-induced toxicants in bovine meats cooked according to the usual preparation and cooking practices in France

Abstract

Most red meat eaten is cooked to increase its digestibility and palatability, but this cooking step can also produce process-induced toxicants (PITs). The aim of this study was to quantify these PITs in different types of bovine meat (cuts, minced patties, and marinated meat) prepared in either home cooking, commercial foodservice, or institutional catering settings. The sampling plan included ten types of cooked beef (six samples each) consisting of cuts that were prepared and/or cooked using methods representative of typical French practices. We then produced an analytical database representative of French practices consolidated with data on heterocyclic aromatic amine (HAA) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contents in cooked beef. Of the 16 HAAs screened, 9 were either absent or below limits of quantification in the meat studied. The other seven (DMIP, IQx, harman, MeIQ, MeIQx, PhIP, and norharman) were detected at concentrations that depended mainly on the cooking conditions. The four PAHs regulated in foodstuffs by the European Commission (which sets a maximum limit of 5 μg/kg cooked meat for benzo[a]pyrene and 30 μg/kg cooked meat for the sum of these 4 PAHs) were analyzed, and the levels found in the meat samples were below limits of detection. The formation of PAHs when cooking meat to French practice (excluding barbecuing) therefore complies with the EU regulations. The results of this study could help assess the dietary exposure of French consumers to these carcinogenic PITs.