Effect of recipes on crust formation and mutagenicity in meat products during baking

A crust is formed on the surface of meat products during baking. Crust formation is accompanied by production of colour and of mutagenic substances. This study was undertaken in order to investigate how various recipes and how heat and mass transfer effect the formation of such mutagenic substances and colours. Mutagenicity did not increase with higher fat content. The correlation between mutagenicity and colour development was high, suggesting that the Maillard reaction plays an important part in the formation of mutagenic substances. With a recipe containing more fat and less water a higher surface temperature is reached more quickly. The fat might have an increasing effect on the heat transfer and less energy is needed to evaporate the water in the crust.