Isothiocyanates may chemically detoxify mutagenic amines formed in heat processed meat

• Combining meat with cabbage reduces mutagen formation during pan-frying.
• Cabbage phytochemicals lower mutagenicity of meat burgers.
• Mutagenicity of aromatic amines is reduced in the presence of isothiocyanates.
• Aromatic amines reacted with isothiocyanates to thioureas exhibit lower mutagenicity.
• Brassica addition to meat may reduce risk associated with food carcinogens.

Meat consumption represents a dietary risk factor increasing the incidence of common cancers, probably due to carcinogenic amines (HAAs) formed upon meat heating. Interestingly, cancers whose incidence is increased by meat consumption, are decreased in populations consuming brassica vegetables regularly. This inverse correlation is attributed to brassica anticarcinogenic components, especially isothiocyanates (ITCs) that stimulate detoxification of food carcinogens. However, ITC reactivity towards amines generating stable thioureas, may also decrease mutagenicity of processed meat. We confirmed here that combining meat with cabbage (fresh or lyophilized), in proportions found in culinary recipes, limited by 17–20% formation of HAAs and significantly lowered mutagenic activity of fried burgers. Moreover, MeIQx mutagenicity was lowered in the presence of ITCs, as well as for synthetic ITC-MeIQx conjugates. This suggests that formation of thioureas could lead to chemical detoxification of food carcinogens, reducing the cancer risk associated with meat consumption.