A review of heterocyclic aromatic amines in cooked meat: generation pathways and mitigation mechanism by natural exogenous additives

Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are a class of carcinogenic substances formed during thermal processing of meat foods. Natural exogenous additives have been widely used in the food processing industry due to their own antioxidant activity, and researchers have developed methods to inhibit the formation of HAAs through the addition of exogenous additives, including synthetic antioxidants, plant extracts, spices, organosulfur compounds, cellulose fibers and some new inhibitors. Although much progress has been made in the study of exogenous additives, the mechanism of inhibition by different additives remains unclear. Here, we comprehensively summaries the inhibitory effects of exogenous additives on the formation of HAAs and their key inhibitory mechanisms, thereby reducing the formation of harmful compounds and improving food safety and nutritional value. We hope that this review will provide a bird’s eye view of the inhibition of HAAs, which will be useful for further research on practical applications.

Schematic illustration of exogenous additives applied to inhibit HAAs formation and involved effect mechanism