Heterocyclic Amines in Meat and Meat Products: Occurrence, Formation, Mitigation, Health Risks and Intervention

Chemical safety of meat and meat products has gained great attention due to increasing contamination incidents. Contaminations produced during meat processing pose a threat to human health. Heterocyclic amines (HAAs) are common contaminants in thermally processed meat products and Maillard reactions play an essential role in their formation. The production of HAAs highly relies on precursors in raw meats and processing conditions, which can be modified to attenuate HAAs. Moreover, exogenous components exert inhibitory effects on HAAs. HAAs have been demonstrated to have multiple toxic effects on human health, including neurotoxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. Fortunately, phenolic compounds and natural extracts can effectively intervene with their toxicity. Therefore, this review intends to provide a comprehensive understanding of formation mechanisms of HAAs in meat products, based on which potential mitigation strategies are summarized to minimize their generation during thermal processing. Also, the toxicity of HAAs and its intervention by natural compounds are presented, consequently providing theoretical references for lowering health threats on humans.