Incorporation of ginseng extract to reduce cooking-induced heterocyclic aromatic amines in roasted chicken.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey) has become widely recognized as a medicinal and food plant. Nevertheless, there has been minimal research on the impact of ginseng extract (GE) on the development of hazardous chemicals during meat preparation. In the present study, red GE (RGE) and white GE (WGE) were prepared and their active components were identified. The effects of RGE and WGE on heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), precursors and physicochemical properties in roasted chicken were investigated, as well as the interaction among them. In chicken meat, 1% RGE effectively inhibited IQ and PhIP production by 100%, and 1% WGE inhibited harman and norharman by 0.73% and 24.83%, respectively. In chicken skin, 0.5% RGE effectively inhibited PhIP production by 94.52%, and 1% RGE inhibited IQ, harman and norharman by 78.43%, 68.15% and 83.15%, respectively. Therefore, GE can inhibit HAAs in roasted chicken. This could be because GE contains active compounds that scavenge intermediates/free radicals in the synthesis of HAAs or increase the creatine and glucose levels. PCA revealed that GE suppressed HAAs better in roasted chicken. Therefore, GE could be used in the roasted chicken manufacturing process to reduce HAA output while increasing its nutritional characteristics. • A novel route was developed to inhibit HAAs in roasted chicken by adding ginseng extract. • Ginseng extract may improve the nutritional characteristics of roasted chicken. • Variation of precursors revealed the involved HAA inhibition mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]