Abstract:Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in meat products were analyzed by optimizing liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and solid-phase extraction (SPE) combined with high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) of the six HAAs in meat products were as low as 0.0006 ng/g and 0.0021 ng/g, respectively. The effects of common cooking methods (oven roasting and deep-frying) on the formation of HAAs in the most common meat products (chicken, pork, beef, grass carp) were studied. The results showed that the formation of HAAs in meats and fish by the same cooked method increaseed with the increased processing temperature; deep-frying treatment of meats and fish produced more HAAs than oven roasting treatment when similar processing temperatures employed. 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b] pyridine (PhIP) and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo [4,5-f]quinolone (MeIQx) were the most abundant HAAs formed in roasted and deep-fried samples, respectively. When meats and fish were roasted at the same temperature (275 ℃), roasted chicken contained the highest amount of total HAAs, followed by roasted pork, grass carp and beef. The highest concentration of PhIP was detected in roasted chicken cooked at 275 ℃, up to 341.15 ng/g. Whereas, deep-fried meats and fish treated at the same temperature exhibited slight differences in total HAAs at relative low levels. The highest concentration of MeIQx (7.44 ng/g) formed in deep-fried products was found in fried beef cooked at 200 ℃.
