Inhibitory profiles of chilli pepper and capsaicin on heterocyclic amine formation in roast beef patties

The inhibitory profiles of chilli pepper and capsaicin, as well as their relationship to the formation of heterocyclic amines (HAs) in roast beef patties were investigated using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) combined with principal component analysis (PCA). HAs including 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), 2-amino-1,6-dimethylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (DMIP), 2-amino-1,5,6-trimethylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (1,5,6-TMIP), 2-amino-3-methyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (IQx), 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx), 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (4,8-DiMeIQx), 1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (harman) and 9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (norharman) were detected and quantified in beef patties. Different levels of chilli pepper and capsaicin had different inhibitory profiles on HA formation, but had no significant (P>0.05) effect on the texture of the patties. Furthermore, all levels of chilli pepper and capsaicin reduced total HA and PhIP concentrations dose-dependently, with the highest inhibitions of 80% and 98% at 2mg of capsaicin. Moreover, capsaicin inhibited all HAs more than chilli pepper, implying that ingredients other than capsaicin in chilli pepper may promote the formation of HAs. These results could be useful for the reduction of HA, during food processing procedures, by spices.