Isolation and identification of mutagens from a fried Norwegian meat product

Two samples of a typical Norwegian minced meat emulsion were fried at 215 degrees C. One had the regular composition while 4.2% creatine was added to the second sample prior to frying. Mutagens in both samples were purified using aqueous acid extraction, XAD-2 adsorption and a series of semipreparative and analytical high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) purification steps monitored by the Ames/Salmonella mutagenicity test. Mutagenic activity in the creatine-fortified product was enhanced 15-fold. Mutagenicity profiles from reverse-phase and normal-phase HPLC were qualitatively similar for both samples indicating no major production of new mutagens due to the presence of additional creatine. A total of 8 distinct mutagenic peaks could be separated after three additional HPLC steps. These compounds fall into a class of compounds called amino-imidazoazaarenes (AIA). The majority of mutagenic activity is made up by the known cooking mutagens 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx), 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (DiMeIQx), 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[3,5-f]quinoline (IQ) and 2-amino-n,n,n-trimethylimidazopyridine (TMIP). Smaller contributions are from 2-amino-3-methylimidazo- [4,5-f]quinoxaline (IQx), 2-amino-n,n-dimethylimidazopyridine (DMIP), 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) and two oxygen-containing AIA. With respect to mass, MeIQx and PhIP were the dominating mutagens.