Nε-carboxymethyl-lysine and Nε-carboxyethyl-lysine contents in commercial meat products.

The objective of this work was to investigate Nε-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) and Nε-carboxyethyl-lysine (CEL) contents in commercial meat products. The results showed that sauced beef and Chinese smoked-cured sausage had the highest CML content (570.38 mg/kg protein) and lowest level of CML (42.18 mg/kg protein), respectively. The CEL level was the highest in stewed pork-hock in soy sauce (868.99 mg/kg protein), and lowest in Korean barbecue (37.95 mg/kg protein). Higher levels of CML and CEL were observed in meat products prepared with sucrose and sauce. Irradiation sterilization had a stronger promoting effect on CML and CEL formation, while smoking could lead to a decrease in CML and CEL. Formation pathway of CML and CEL might be different at different processing temperature due to the different trends of CML and CEL levels in commercial meat products. Furthermore, additions of spices, sodium nitrite and tomato juice in meat products had stronger inhibitory effects on CML and CEL formation. These data could provide a crucial guide for consumers to select meat products, and reduce CML and CEL intake.