Health reminder and useful tips to safe barbecue
The barbecue season is in full swing as the weather gets cooler.
The Consumer Council has this timely health reminder to the habitual consumers of barbecued food.
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, cooking meat, poultry and fish at high temperatures could produce cancer-causing substances such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the food.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified some of the HCAs and PAHs as (Group 2A) agents that are probably carcinogenic to humans (due to inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans but sufficient evidence in experimental animals).
PAHs are formed, for instance, when meat fat drips onto the heat source (such as burning charcoal in a barbecue). PAHs are likely to be found on the charred portion of food.
Barbecuing as well as frying and broiling produce the largest amounts of HCAs at high cooking temperatures.
On the other hand, foods cooked at temperatures below 160°C, generally have very low or undetectable levels of HCAs.
The lower the temperatures (such as by oven roasting and baking), the lower the levels of HCAs are likely to be formed. At or below 100°C (such as stewing, boiling or poaching), the amounts of HCAs created at such low temperature are negligible.
In the report in CHOICE were contained useful tips for the guidance of barbecue consumers:
- Cut the fat - choose lean meats when barbecuing, and trim away any visible fat. Reducing 'flare-ups' caused by dripping fat wil reduce the formation of PAHs and HCAs.
- Marinate - research shows that marinating meats can prevent the formation of HCAs by as much as 90 percent.
- Shorten cooking time - the longer meat stays over open flame, the higher the cancer risk. Use small piece of meat or microwave meats until almost done to shorten cooking time.
- Avoid 'flare-ups' - keep juices from dripping into the fire. Don't place meat directly over the charcoals.
- Turn the food regularly or placement of the meat further from the heat source can reduce the chance of charring the meat. Cut away and discard any charred parts of the meat before eating.
Lastly, make sure that barbecued meat is thoroughly cooked before eating it. Meat not thoroughly cooked may cause food poisoning and various parasitic diseases.