Almost everyone has eaten a burnt piece of meat. However, this is not without danger. Consuming black, burnt food is very unhealthy. This increases the risk of cancer.
Burnt food
Burnt food is food that has developed black spots and a typical burnt smell during cooking. It is not difficult to recognize, because the smell is mainly penetrating. Food can burn when baked, roasted, roasted, grilled and barbecued without care. There is a great danger, especially when barbecuing. This danger lies in the coal that is used. When burning coal, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can be formed and these can transfer to the meat. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are explained in more detail in the heading below.
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PAH stands for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Chemically speaking, they are organic compounds that contain aromatic rings. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are of great interest to humans because they have carcinogenic properties. Carcinogenic means carcinogenic. The more carcinogenic the substance and the more the substance is absorbed, the greater the risk of cancer.PAH are formed by incomplete combustion of carbon-containing substances, mainly fatty substances such as meat. Almost all substances on Earth contained some degree of carbon. For example, foodstuffs consist of carbon, but also the combustion substances wood and coal. For example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are released when food is burned, especially when barbecuing.
Uptake of PAH by humans
People mainly absorb PAH through eating (burnt) food. In rare cases, PAHs are also inhaled. This is, for example, the case with people who smoke. PAH are mainly fat soluble. After absorption into the body, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons will enter fatty and glandular tissues via the gastrointestinal tract and the lymphatic and blood vessels.Your body wants to get rid of the PAH as quickly as possible. Metabolism takes place in the organs and tissues where PAH have settled. After this metabolism, almost all PAH are excreted through the urine and feces. This process is primary and secondary metabolism. However, during primary metabolism – during which PAH are broken down – so-called diols are also formed. Diols are very reactive and want to form bonds with other substances. One of those substances is DNA, the carrier of our hereditary material. Our DNA can be affected by the diols and this causes the carcinogenic effects.
Tips
The most important tip is never to let food burn. It is better to throw away burnt food than take the risks. Frying with enough butter or cooking oil prevents the food from burning, but can make the food taste less. There are also some important things to pay attention to when barbecuing and frying.
Barbecuing
- Wait until the coals you are using have turned white and until no fire is visible anymore.
- Turn the meat frequently. This prevents the meat from burning.
- Discard any piece of meat that is black. You can also cut off black pieces and throw them away.
Frying
- Deep fry at a maximum of 175 degrees Celsius.
- Change the frying fat regularly. Better to have too much than too little.
- Fry the products until golden yellow and prevent potato products from turning brown.