Mitigation strategies to reduce the impact of heterocyclic aromatic amines in proteinaceous foods

• A review of the most promising mitigation strategies to reduce HAA impact on health.
• Levers include the control of HAA formation, bioaccessibility and metabolisation.
• A discussion relying on mechanisms of formation and of action.
• A critical review giving tracks of suitable generic answers to reduce HAAs in food.

BackgroundMeat and fish are currently the main sources of proteins necessary for a healthy diet. Cooking proteinaceous food helps reduce biological risks and produce odor-active compounds, but it also generates heat-induced toxicants, of which heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are probably the most problematic as they are strongly mutagenic and carcinogenic.Scope and approachThis review highlights the most promising strategies for mitigating the impacts of HAAs on human health. These strategies revolve around reducing HAA formation by impacting HAA precursors, controlling the process, adjusting formulations or adapting diets to limit HAA assimilation and metabolism.Key findings and conclusionsIdentifying the different mechanisms of HAA formation and metabolism has made it possible to propose mitigation strategies to limit the risks related to HAA consumption. Various kinds of levers exist. While cooking methods for industrial processed foods can be regulated, it is far more difficult to influence household practices. Mitigation strategies involving other food ingredients are probably more promising from a consumer point of view if pushed by health education campaigns. Efforts to reduce the health risk from HAA consumption should now turn to ingredients like carvacrol that present different concomitant modes of action.