Spices Protect Against Carcinogenic HCAs in Cooked Meat
Carcinogens in Charred Meat Reduced by Adding Spices and Herbs
When you’re enjoying grilling, broiling, barbecuing or frying, don’t forget the seasonings! Rosemary, and some spices – chilli, cumin, ginger, galangal, and others found in Thai foods, inhibit HCAs developing in meat being cooked at high temperatures.
Five different HCAS develop in meat when it is grilled, roasted, barbecued or done on a rotisserie at temperatures above 400 degrees F.
They are found in the crispy skin of rotisserie chicken, or the darker charred areas on roast meats, or grilled hamburgers, bacon and sausages.
Rosemary Reduces HCAs in Meat Cooked at High Temperature
In 2007, Dr J. Scott Smith, food science professor at Kansas State University, found out about rosemary’s strength against the carcinogenic compounds while researching ways to reduce HCAs as part of a long-term Food Safety Consortium project.
He reported that the use of commercial rosemary extracts reduced the HCAs levels ranging from 30-100 percent reduction.
“Using rosemary extracts allows cooking temperatures to be kept high without HCAs developing,” he said.
Watch Out for HCAs in Grilled and Roast Meat
Dr Smith continued his research into ways to cook meat at relatively high temperatures without creating HCAs.
If the meat is darkly charred, some of the HCAs change the taste, making the meat bitter. But lesser amounts of charring can be attractive.
While many consumers avoid the darker skin on rotisserie barbecued chicken, or the slight charring on hamburgers, steak or sausages, others enjoy the flavor, and risk ingesting cancer-causing HCAs.
Inhibiting HCAs in cooked meat products is an important step in food safety, Dr Smith said.
He found that HCA levels increase as charring increases on meat skin and the moisture content decreases.
The levels vary on different meats, with bacon and rotisserie chicken the worst, and deli meats and hot dogs showing the lowest levels.
Dr Smith warned that chicken skin and breast meat had all five of the HCA types.
Thai Spices also Reduce HCAs when Cooking Meat
He also found that sprinkling on any of the spices found in Thai cooking helped lower the levels of HCA in grilled, and roasted meat, though not as effectively as rosemary.
Some commercial rosemary extracts can inhibit the formation of HCAs in cooked beef patties by 61 to 79 per cent.
Thai spices can inhibit the formation by about 40 to 43 per cent.
The most common spices used in Thai cooking are chili, ginger, galangal, cumin, pepper, cinnamon and turmeric.
Garlic is also used extensively in Thai cuisine, and a range of fresh herbs.
“Just one of the spices would work,” Dr Smith said, suggesting that the flavor of the resulting cooked meat would be the deciding factor.
“For example, cinnamon is very good but some people don’t like it. Some people don’t like rosemary.
“Some of these Thai spices are unique and there would be ones in colors that people would want to use more than a rosemary or cinnamon or other products.”
Antioxidants are the Key to Reducing HCAs
The effect of rosemary or any of the spices in preventing or reducing the formation of HCAs depends on the amounts of antioxidant they contain.
Rosemary contains three antioxidant compounds– rosmarinic acid, carnosol and carnosic acid – which are known to help prevent stroke and protect the brain, as well as combating HCAs.
Garlic is also well known for its high level of antioxidants, particularly allicin.
Other herbs used regularly in Thai cooking, such as basil, mint and lemongrass, also have good levels of antioxidant compounds.
Dried spices, while adding subtle or hot flavors and distinctive colors, have lesser antioxidant levels, but do help reduce HCAs, and may have other health benefits.
See also: Rosemary Fights Meat Carcinogens
Turmeric Spice Benefits the Heart
Ginger, Turmeric, Cinnamon, help Reduce Meat HCAs
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Rosemary's Flavor Marries Well with Most Meats
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