subject: For Health and Beauty As Well As Taste [print this page] For Health and Beauty As Well As Taste For Health and Beauty As Well As Taste
For Health and Beauty As Well As Taste
t's a problem for anyone who's ever done a large amount of grilling or barbecuing: how to keep the meat from charring, while at the same time making sure it stays flavorful. Every experienced griller knows that even a small amount of blackening, burning or charring produces a metallic charcoal flavor that can quickly turn the cookout experience sour.
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But did you know that, in addition to ruining the flavor, meat that's been burned or blackened on the grill can be downright dangerous? Research conducted by the National Cancer Institute has shown that overcooking certain meats, such as beef, pork, fish, and chicken can lead to the production of various chemicals which were not present in the uncooked meats. Among the new chemicals produced, at least 17 of them were found to lead to a sharply increased risk of cancer. The National Cancer Institute research looked at the eating habits of 679 people, 176 of which had been previously diagnosed with stomach cancer, and 503 who were considered to be cancer-free.
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Among those who ate meat cooked medium-rare or rare, the risk for stomach cancer was three times lower than among those who had habitually eaten overcooked "well-done" meats.These carcinogenic chemicals that form when meats are overcooked are known as HCAs, or heterocyclic amines. They are produced when a high-temperature chemical reaction is caused between the creatine found in muscle tissue and the amino acids that form the basis of all proteins, a reaction that is extremely likely to occur given the high temperatures involved in grilling.
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That's not all, though. In addition to HCAs, a second type of cancer-causing chemical known as PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is a real problem too. Of all the PAHs that are naturally occurring in our environment, 18 are are known to be produced when the fats from meat drip down onto the heat source and produce a type of soot that blackens the outside of the meat and produces an unpleasant film and taste.
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So far, research has only shown the carcinogenic chemicals associated with grilling to be produced by cooking muscle meats. Organ meats such as liver and kidneys, or other types of "dairy" protein such as eggs and milk contain little to no creatine, and so the chemical process by which HCAs are produced never occurs.
