Can Marinating Chicken Prior to Grilling Reduce the Amount of Carcinogens?

1749 Words4 Pages

My project is: Can marinating chicken prior to grilling reduce the amount of carcinogens? Carcinogens are basically substances that are capable of causing cancer. Two examples of carcinogens are heterocyclic amines (HCA’s) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s). Heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are simply chemicals formed when meat is cooked at very high temperatures. I think that if I marinate the chicken breast before grilling it, then it will reduce the amount of carcinogens present in the meat because I learned from my biology class about proteins denaturing, or taking away, from acids. I was watching my mom make chicken the other day for dinner and she marinated the chicken in lemon juice. While I was watching her, I observed that the edges of the chicken breast had turned white. I was wondering if this denaturing process could obstruct the formation of heterocyclic amines to decrease the risk of cancer from grilled chicken breast.
Carcinogens are substances that are capable of causing cancer. When a cell’s DNA changes, cancer is caused. Not all carcinogens affect DNA directly, but cause cancer in other ways. An example would be that the carcinogens could increase the probability that DNA changes will happen if the carcinogens cause the cells to split apart at a rate faster than normal. Exposure to carcinogens will not cause cancer every time. There are many ways to get exposed to carcinogens that are very common such as ultraviolet light, radon gas, pollution, and workplace/ household exposures, but not all of them will lead to cancer because they have “different levels of cancer-causing potential”. After prolonged and high levels of exposure, some carcinogens can cause cancer. It doe...

... middle of paper ...

...cook the meat. Now black pepper is an interesting spice because it is produced from the pepper plant’s unripe and still-green drupes. To form black pepper, these drupes are briefly soaked and cooked in hot water to both clean and prepare for them to dry. While drying, cell walls in the pepper are ruptured due to the heat. This rupturing speeds up the work of browning enzymes during drying. The seeds shrink, darkening into a thing, wrinkled black layer, when the drupes are dried in the sun or even by a machine. This drying process can take several days to accomplish. Next, by crushing the berries, pepper spirit and oil can be extracted.
In conclusion, when you marinate chicken breasts before grilling, I believe you will be able to reduce the amount of carcinogens. Preventing cancer by taking small measures will result in a happier, healthier and longer life.

More about Can Marinating Chicken Prior to Grilling Reduce the Amount of Carcinogens?

Open Document