Formation of mutagenic/carcinogenic heterocyclic amines in dry-heated model systems, meats, and meat drippings

Mixtures of amino acids, creatine, and glucose simulating the composition o f six different kinds of meats (beef, chicken breast, chicken thigh, turkey breast, pork, and fish) were dry-heated to simulate the formation of heter ocyclic amines in meats. The presence of 16 heterocyclic amines was investi gated in the model. systems and in the six meats and their corresponding me at drippings to determine the importance of meat composition to heterocycli c amine formation. Nine mutagenic amines (IQ, MeIQ, 8-MeIQx, 4,8-DiMeIQx, P hIP, IQx, IFP, DMIP, and TMIP) were found to be present at concentrations > 0.1 ng/g in some of the model systems and in some of the meats or pan resid ues. Heterocyclic amine concentrations clearly are affected by precursor co mposition in this model system, and the same nine heterocyclic amines forme d in the meat and in the model system show that this is a well-controlled s urrogate for the reaction conditions that occur in meats during cooking.