Proteins pyrolysis product mutagenicity

Besides the determination of major pyrolysis products for amino acids, a special issue is the formation of several mutagenic compounds (heterocyclic amines) during pyrolysis. These types of compounds were detected in traces in the pyrolysates of amino acids, and the finding is very important as the amino acids are components of proteins and are present in food. Some of these compounds isolated from pyrolysates performed at 550 C from several amino acids [5,6] are shown below ... 

Nebert, D.W., S.W. Bigelow, A.B. Okey, T. Yahagi, Y. Mori, M. Nagao, and T. Sugimura Pyrolysis products from amino acids and proteins Highest mutagenicity requires cytochrome P1 50 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76 (1979) 5929-5933. 

Nagao, M., Yahagi, T., Kawachi, T., Seino, Y, Honda, M., Matsukura, N., Sugimura, T., Wakabayashi, K., Tsuji, K., Kosuge, T. Mutagens in foods, and especially pyrolysis products of protein. Dev. Toxicol. Environ. Sd. 2nd (Prog. Genet. Toxicol.), p. 259 (1977)... 

Presently about 20 different mutagenic and/or carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HAs) have been isolated from various heat-processed foods. One class of these HAs is formed by pyrolysis of proteins or some amino acids. These HAs are amino-carbolines (Figure 13.7), and have been identified in grilled, broiled, baked, and fried meat and fish products, in meat sauces and bouillons, as well as in pyrolyzed proteins, glutamate, lysine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, ornithine, and creatine. 

Also pyrolysis has been used for differentiating different proteinaceous materials such as enzymes or microorganisms. Also, the generation of mutagenic compounds by pyrolysis of proteins has been of significant interest related to food and consumer products [2]. 

Fukuhara, Y., Yoshida, D., and Goto, F., 1981, Reduction of mutagenic products in the presence of polyphenols during pyrolysis of protein, Agric. Biol. Chem., 45 1061. 

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