Detection of 2-alkylcyclobutanones in irradiated meat, poultry and egg after cooking

Abstract

2-Alkylcyclobutanones in irradiated and cooked meats, poultry and egg were analyzed to detect the irradiation history of those samples prior to cooking. They were extracted using an accelerated solvent extraction system (ASE), and determined by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Irradiated beef, chicken and egg were browned and the irradiated beef and egg were boiled. The irradiated chicken was fried and a pancake was made with the irradiated egg. Radiolytic compounds of 2-dodecylcyclobutanone (2-DCB) and 2- tetradecylcyclobutane (2-TCB) were detected in all the cooked samples when the raw samples were irradiated with 3-6.5 kGy. Both 2-DCB and 2-TCB were similarly stable in the samples with conventional cooking, which resulted in a temperature less than 100°C inside the samples, whereas they were destroyed when heated to over 200°C. The food samples did not show serious interferences on GC/MS chromatograms due to cooking. The results conclude that the analysis of 2-DCB and 2-TCB in the cooked samples would be a reliable indicator to detect the irradiation history of raw meats, poultry and egg.