QUANTIFICATION OF HETEROCYCLIC AMINE CARCINOGENS IN COOKED MEATS USING ISOTOPE-DILUTION LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY ATMOSPHERIC-PRESSURE CHEMICAL-IONIZATION TANDEM MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are formed in cooked meats through pyrolysis reactions of different amino acids in the presence or absen ce of creatine/creatinine and sugars, HAAs are mutagens, colon/mammary gland carcinogens in rodents, and are suspected in the etiology of hu man cancers. In this study, cooked meats containing incurred HAAs as w ell as control (microwave) meat, were spiked with four labeled HAA int ernal standards (MeIQx, IQ, AAC and PhIP) and extracted using a liquid /liquid cleanup procedure, Isotope dilution measurements were made usi ng on-line liquid chromatography atmosphere pressure chemical ionizati on tandem mass spectrometry with multiple reaction monitoring to provi de the sensitivity and specificity needed for trace analysis in these complex matrices, The procedure was validated using control meat spike d with the four native HAAs at 0-50 ppb, The levels of HAAs found in c ooked meats ranged from non-detectable (limit of detection 0.1-1.0 ppb ) in microwave-cooked hamburger to 226 ppb PhIP and 104 ppb AAC in wel l-done grilled chicken, This methodology has the potential to provide accurate data on the consumption of HAAs in the diet for use in human cancer risk assessment. (C) 1997 by John Whey & Sons, Ltd.