Zibo barbecue is becoming popular, but some people are worried that eating barbecue may cause cancer?

gossip

Recently, Zibo barbecue has become popular all over the Internet. Many people go to Zibo just to taste the pancake wrapped in skewers. Many netizens who have eaten it commented that it is "authentic, cheap and delicious." However, some netizens have expressed concerns, believing that eating barbecue can cause cancer. Is this true? How to choose between deliciousness and health?

In fact, there is no need to worry too much. Eating a few skewers occasionally is really not a big problem.

analyze

The claim that barbecue causes cancer is not accurate, and there is no need to avoid barbecue for fear of cancer. In fact, as long as the cooking method is proper, using electric grills and grill pans instead of charcoal fire, or staying away from the fumes when grilling over charcoal fire, the impact of carcinogens can be greatly reduced.

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Generally speaking, when we talk about carcinogens in grilled skewers, we are mainly referring to two chemicals: benzopyrene and heterocyclic amines.

Benzopyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound that has long been proven to be a strong carcinogen that may cause multiple cancers. In daily life, benzopyrene comes from two main sources: on the one hand, it comes from waste gas produced by the combustion of coal, oil and natural gas, and on the other hand, it is generated by fats and sugars in food at high temperatures.

In barbecue, the sources of benzopyrene can also be divided into two parts: the smoke from charcoal grilling and the food repeatedly grilled at high temperatures under high flames. In particular, when the meat skewers are grilled and the fat drips onto the charcoal, the smoke is produced.

After talking about benzopyrene, let's talk about heterocyclic amines. Heterocyclic amines are compounds with polycyclic aromatic structures composed of carbon atoms, nitrogen atoms and hydrogen atoms. Long-term animal experiments have shown that heterocyclic amines are highly carcinogenic.

Heterocyclic amines are often found in heat-treated meats, and one of the main sources of heterocyclic amines in food is protein. Amino acids or proteins react chemically at a high temperature of 300°C to produce heterocyclic amines. Therefore, the key to avoiding heterocyclic amines is the reaction temperature and reaction time.

Whether we are dealing with benzopyrene or heterocyclic amines, we must respond scientifically: the grilling time should not be too long, the food should not be too close to the fire, and people should try to avoid the fumes produced when grilling. Using an electric grill can avoid the influence of charcoal fumes. At the same time, the temperature of an electric grill is much lower than that of a charcoal fire. The temperature during electric grilling is usually below 250 degrees, and the amount of benzopyrene and heterocyclic amines will be greatly reduced.

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in conclusion

It’s no problem to have a barbecue meal to satisfy your craving.

For the sake of a reasonable diet, it is recommended that you control the frequency of eating barbecue. Although barbecue is delicious, we are not greedy!

References:

[1] Shi Qiaoqiao, Xi Jun, Lu Qiyu. Research progress of benzopyrene in food[J]. Science and Technology of Food Industry, 2014, 35(05): 379-381+386. DOI: 10.13386/j.issn1002-0306.2014.05.066.

[2] Lin Houchao, Chen Anzi. Temperature field distribution inside oven and temperature control simulation optimization[J]. Industrial Technology Innovation, 2016, 03(05): 885-887. DOI: 10.14103/j.issn.2095-8412.2016.05.015.

[3] Liao Guozhou. Study on the formation rules of heterocyclic amines in barbecued meat products[D]. Nanjing Agricultural University, 2008.

Author: Liu Aiqi

Review | Zhang Yu, researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, doctor of medicine, and master's supervisor

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