Mechanism of four dihydroflavones inhibiting heterocyclic amine formation in roasted pork patties―increasing the moisture

This study explored the inhibitory effect and mechanisms of four dihydroflavones (hesperetin, hesperidin, naringenin and naringin) addition on the production of five HCAs (IQ, DMIP, MeIQx, Norharman and PhIP) in roasted pork patties. Results indicated that the moisture holding capacity of dihydroflavones played a crucial role in their inhibition on HCA formation. The importance of moisture in the HCA formation was further confirmed by adding two water-retaining edible starches (corn and sweet potato starch). Significantly, the combination of edible starch and naringenin resulted in better inhibition of HCAs. The inhibition ratio of the mixture containing corn starch and naringenin on IQ, DMIP, MeIQx, Norharman and PhIP of pork patties were even up to 76.64%, 100%, 53.29%, 91.29% and 100%, respectively. This study offers a new idea of combination of dihydroflavone and edible starch to better control the HCA formation in roasted meat products.