Influence of Various Cooking Methods on the Concentrations of Volatile N‐Nitrosamines and Biogenic Amines in Dry‐Cured Sausages

Abstract: N‐nitrosamines, biogenic amines, and residual nitrites are harmful substances and are often present in cured meats. The effects of different cooking methods (boiling, pan‐frying, deep‐frying, and microwave) were investigated on their contents in dry‐cured sausage. The various N‐nitrosamines were isolated by a steam distillation method and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The biogenic amines were determined after extraction with perchloric acid as dansyl derivatives by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The results showed that initial dry‐cured raw sausage contained 5.31 μg/kg of total N‐nitrosamines. Cooking by deep‐frying or pan‐frying resulted in products having the highest (P < 0.05) contents, compared with boiling or microwave treatments, which were not different from the raw. Although frying increased the content of N‐nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N‐nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), and N‐nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR), it decreased the contents of histamine and cadaverine. Boiling and microwave treatments decreased the total biogenic amines significantly (P < 0.05). Residual nitrite was significantly reduced by cooking treatments. The results suggest that boiling and microwave treatments were more suitable methods for cured meat. Practical Application: N‐nitrosamines and biogenic amines are considered potentially harmful substances to humans and often present in dry‐cured sausage. Different cooking methods may effect the content of these harmful substances. However, little information exists on the different cooking methods on dry‐cured meats.