According to foreign media reports on the 20th, condiments not only enrich the taste of ground beef, but also may reduce the risk of cancer in consumers.

In recent years, J. Scott Smith, a professor of food chemistry at Kansas State University, has used different projects to explore ways to reduce the amount of heterocyclic amine (HCA) carcinogens contained in grilled, boiled, and fried foods (such as ground beef patties).

A large consumption of meat will increase the intake of heterocyclic amines, which in turn will increase the risk of diseases such as colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. Through research supported by the Food Safety Association, Smith found that adding a specific flavor containing natural antioxidants during the cooking of beef patties reduced the content of heterocyclic amines by 40%.

Smith said: "Compared with other cooked meats such as pork and chicken, cooked beef contains relatively more heterocyclic amines. Cooked beef patties seem to be the most active mutagenic meat, probably in the human diet. The most important source of heterocyclic amines."

Smith's team surveyed six condiments, namely cumin, scorpion, sand ginger, digitalis, rosemary and turmeric. The study found that the latter three seasonings had the highest antioxidant activity and the best inhibitory effect on the formation of heterocyclic amines, among which rosemary had the best effect.

Consumers can use these seasonings while cooking. Smith's previous research in the laboratory has shown that some commercial rosemary extracts can reduce the content of heterocyclic amines by 61% to 79%. Smith's early work also showed that Thai condiments can reduce the content of heterocyclic amines by 40% to 43%.