Effects of marinating with Asian marinades or western barbecue sauce on PhIP and MeIQx formation in barbecued beef

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), a group of chemicals formed during hig h-temperature cooking of meat and fish, are potent mutagens and are suspect ed to play a role in colorectal cancer. A recent study suggested that marin ating meat may offer a way to reduce HAA formation. Hawaii's diverse ethnic populations, which are at various risks of colorectal cancer, often use tr aditional marinades when cooking meat. We compared the HAA content of beef steaks marinated overnight with teriyaki sauce, turmeric-garlic sauce, or c ommercial honey barbecue sauce with that of unmarinated steaks. The levels of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) and 2-amino-3,8-d imethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) were determined by liquid-liquid e xtraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Beefsteaks marinated wi th teriyaki sauce had 45% and 67% lower PhIP level at 10 minutes (p = 0.002 ) and 15 minutes (p = 0.001) of cooking time as well as 44% and 60% lower M eIQx levels at 10 minutes (p = 0.008) and 15 minutes (p = 0.001), respectiv ely, than unmarinated meat. Lower levels of PhIP and MeIQx were also observ ed in meat marinated with turmeric-garlic sauce. In contrast, marinating wi th barbecue sauce caused a 2.9- and 1.9-fold increase in PhIP (p less than or equal to 0.005) and a 4- and 2.9-fold increase in MeIQx (p less than or equal to 0.001) at 10 and 15 minutes, respectively. Differences in the muta genic activities of marinated and unmarinated steaks, as measured by the Am es assay, paralleled the differences in PhIP and MeIQx levels. Future studi es should test the effects of specific ingredients, including the water con tent of marinades, and the effect of reapplying barbecue sauce during cooki ng (to reduce charring) on HAA formation.