Effects of grilling process on the formation pattern of heterocyclic amines and advanced glycation end products and physicochemical quality of premade grilled grass carp fish blocks.

This study found a temperature-dependent pattern in heterocyclic amines (HAs) and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) formation, as well as the physicochemical quality attributes of pre-made grilled grass carp. Raising the center temperature from 50 °C to 80 °C increased total HAs by 20% and total AGEs (CML + CEL) by 107%. At grilling temperatures of 220-280 °C, HAs formation dominated, with tryptophan, glyoxal, and creatine/creatinine as key precursors. In contrast, AGE formation prevailed at 310 °C, primarily involving lysine and methylglyoxal. Notably, grilled fish skin contained only 23-39% of total HAs and 36-65% of AGEs found in flesh. Prolonged grilling increased hardness, chewiness, gumminess, and yellowness (b*) but reduced lightness (L*) and moisture content, the latter showing strong negative correlation with HAs (r = -0.89) and moderate correlation with AGEs (r = -0.51). These findings provide science-based guidance for optimizing grilling conditions to balance safety and quality.