TURK 2025

Our foods are generally subjected to heat treatment immediately before their consumption. It is known that appropriate heat treatment of foods prior to consumption generally improves the sensory properties, increases digestibility and ensures microbial safety of foods. However, heat treatment of proteinous foods can result in the formation of heat treatment toxicants such as heterocyclic aromatic amines. Heterocyclic aromatic amines are mutagenic and/or carcinogenic compounds that can be formed as a result of heat treatment of protein-rich foods such as meat and fish. Heterocyclic aromatic amines can be formed either by the reaction of free amino acids, creatine, creatinine and hexoses during the cooking of foods at conventional cooking temperatures (150-300°C) or by the pyrolytic reaction of amino acids and proteins at higher temperatures above 300°C. The formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines is influenced by various factors such as food type and composition, cooking temperature, time, cooking method and technique, presence of precursors in the foods such as creatine, creatinine, free amino acids, sugars. Understanding the chemistry and formation of HAAs is crucial to developing effective ways to prevent their occurrence in foods and protect human health. Therefore, this study reviewed an overview of HAAs, including their formation pathways, the factors that influence their formation, their adverse health effects, the analytical methods used to measure them, and the proposals to reduce their formation.