Accumulation of Nε-carboxymethyllysine and Nε-carboxyethyllysine in precooked pork during cold storage and subsequent reheating.

This research aimed to investigate the levels of N ε -carboxymethyllysine (CML) and N ε -carboxyethyllysine (CEL) in precooked pork (100 °C, 10 min) as affected by storage (0 °C, 0–11 d) and subsequent reheating (100 °C, 5 min). A longer storage duration led to more CML (average increased: 69–128 %) and CEL (average increased: 11–44 %) in precooked pork, while the reheating resulted in average increases of 86 % CML and 32 % CEL compared to their initial levels in precooked pork. However, the storage duration did not significantly (p > 0.05) affect CML/CEL formation in precooked pork during the subsequent reheating. The levels of CML/CEL and glyoxal/methylglyoxal had no obvious relationship, but CML formation was linked to lipid oxidation in precooked or reheated pork. The accumulation of CML and CEL in precooked meat produced during the initial precooking, storage, and reheating implies the necessity to control their generation in these products. • Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in precooked pork increased during storage. • Storage time of precooked pork didn't affect AGE formation during later reheating. • AGEs formed during precooking, storage and reheating were accumulative. • Reheated pork could contain 230 % more N ε -carboxymethyllysine than precooked pork. • The levels of AGEs and their α-dicarbonyl precursors had no obvious relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]