Effect of Apple Polyphenol and Three Antioxidants on the Formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon in Barbecued Pork

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) widely exist in food, which potentially harm human health. This study compared the effect of apple polyphenol (AP) and three antioxidants - ascorbic acid, tert-butyl hydroquinone and butylated hydroxytoluene on barbecued pork. The inhibition pathway of PAHs in barbecued pork were investigated by measuring DPPH radical scavenging rate, peroxide value (POV), and thiobarbituric acid value (TBARs). The results indicated that AP and antioxidants showed positive effects in inhibiting of PAHs formation (20.03-37.36%), scavenging DPPH radical activity (48.56-64.37%), reducing POV value (45.08-64.89%), and TBARs value (13.74-32.72%). Based on strong correlation between the PAHs content and the POV (r = 0.844, p = 0.017) and TBARs values (r = 0.825, p = 0.022) analyzed by Pearson correlation, AP can be used to control the formation of PAHs. The inhibition effect of AP on PAHs showed concentration-dependent. OPLS-DA analysis revealed that 0.20% AP had the best inhibition on PAH in barbecued pork, and elasticity, cohesiveness, adhesion, chewiness, and recovery of barbecued pork were improved significantly.

Automated summary

This study compared the effects of different antioxidants on the inhibition of PAHs in barbecued pork and found that apple polyphenol (AP) showed a concentration-dependent effect. Furthermore, AP also improved the texture properties of barbecued pork.