AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD IN DETOXIFICATION OF FOOD CARCINOGENES: PROBIOTICS

AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD IN DETOXIFICATION OF FOOD CARCINOGENES: PROBIOTICS Traditional heat treatments (eg frying, baking) used in food preparation and cooking are applications to improve the reliability and consumption of food. However, these thermal processes can lead to deterioration in the quality of the final product by protein denaturation, changes in the solubility of carbohydrates, vitamin degradation, and fat oxidation, and various potentially harmful compounds can occur unintentionally. Among them, heterocyclic aromatic amines, acrylamide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have proved to be carcinogenic and genotoxic in many studies. Although there are various physical or chemical methods to eliminate these carcinogenic compounds, the ineffective use of these methods has created the need for safe and successful alternative methods for human health. It is emphasized that probiotic bacteria, known as beneficial microorganisms, can bind to the diet mutagens based on their anticarcinogenic effects and binding ability from the cell wall structure and in this way it is thought to detoxify (eliminate toxic effects) them. In this review, the studies investigating the detoxification effect of probiotic bacteria on carcinogenic compounds resulting from heat treatment in foods are evaluated.