Inhibitory effect of culinary herbs Za’atar (blend of thyme, sesame seeds and sumac) marinades on the formation of polar and non-polar heterocyclic amines carcinogen in fried beef patties: Determination by SPE/UPLC-MS/MS

Objectives: In the present work, the inhibitory effect of culinary herbs Za’atar (blend of thyme, sesame seeds and sumac) marinades on the formation of polar (quinoxalines, quinolines and pyridines) and non-polar (a-carbolines, b-carbolines, c-carbolines and d-carbolines) heterocyclic amines (HCAs) in cooked beef patties were investigated.
Methods: The beef patties were subjected to pan-frying under controlled temperature and time, HCAs analysis was carried out by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).
Results: The amounts of HCAs quinoxalines (0.74–2.88 ng/g), quinolines (0.54–0.75 ng/g), pyridines (1.66–6.32 ng/g), a-carbolines (<limit of quantification), b-carbolines (3.62–7.89 ng/g), c-carbolines (<limit of detection) and d-carbolines (not detected) were found in cooked beef patties that contained no Za’atar (control sample). In the results achieved after marination with Za’atar at different periods (1, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 h), HCAs yields (except b-carbolines) were steadily decreased with time (59.38 to 100%, 2–24 h). On contrary, b-carbolines levels were found to be radually increased with time (44.76%, 24 h).
Conclusions: The variation of HCAs formation occurred due to the presence of natural antioxidants in Za’atar which usually stimulate the oxidative effect, and thus leading to the reduction and/or formation of HCAs in cooked meat. The achieved HCAs values from this work could be applied to estimate the HCAs human intake globally and add to Za’atar in such types of food products that diminish the risk of HCAs exposure, and thus to get healthier food quality and security.