Content, causes and analysis of heterocyclic amines in Chinese traditional braised chicken

Braised chicken is a popular traditional chicken product in China with a special and complicated culinary method. However, there has been little research focused on the food safety problems caused by hazardous compounds in braised chicken. In this study, the contents of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) in representative braised chicken samples were determined. Total HCAs in braised chicken were relatively high (6.20–27.7 ng g−1), and aminoimidazoazaarenes (AIAs) took a large proportion (54.0–86.4%). 2-Amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) was found in all samples with a high level (2.72–13.5 ng g−1), whilst 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) was low (0.14–0.41 ng g−1). 9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (Norharman) and 1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (Harman) were main components in aminocarbolines (ACs). So the potential safety risk in braised chicken caused by high HCAs content should be paid attention. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyse and visualise the differences of HCAs levels among braised chicken samples. The result indicated that the differences among these samples were significant, but there were no obvious similarities between samples produced in the same regions. Moreover, there were rare significant positive correlations between chemical components (including moisture, fat, protein, creatine and free amino acids) and hazardous compounds. Considering PCA and correlation analysis results, these parameters may play a major role in the HCAs levels in Chinese traditional braised chicken.