Dietary intake of heterocyclic aromatic amines in Germany

S. Rohrmann, N. Becker, Heidelberg

A short questionnaire was developed to assess the consumption frequency of 7 meat and fish items prepared by different cooking methods which are important for the formation of heterocyclic amines (HCAs). To assess the HCA intake in terms of quantity, the degree of browning of these foods was determined by means of four photos.

HCA intake was calculated from the amount of food consumed and the degree of browning. In a pilot study this questionnaire was sent to 385 EPIC participants in Heidelberg; 344 (88,9 %) of the questionnaires returned within 4 month. The average intake of total HCAs amounted to 103 ng/d (range 0–4195 ng/d). Most important HCAs were PhIP (63 ng/d) and MelQx (33 ng/d). Of the food listed items ‘fried chicken and turkey’ contributed most to the total HCA intake, followed by ‘fish’ and ‘roast beef’. The calculated HCA is comparable to that reported by other authors of international publications who also used a specific questionnaire to assess the dietary intake of HCA. The questionnaire is now used in the 2nd follow-up in EPIC Heidelberg. EU11/01

Keywords: Heterocyclic aromatic amines / Germany / dietary intake
Ernährungs-Umschau 48 (2001), pp. 447–450

Den vollständigen Artikel in deutscher Sprache finden Sie in EU 11/01 ab Seite 447.