Metabolic Signatures of 10 Processed and Non-processed Meat Products after In Vitro Digestion
Résumé
The intake of processed meat has been associated with several adverse health outcomes
such as type II diabetes and cancer; however, the mechanisms are not fully understood. A better
knowledge of the metabolite profiles of dierent processed and non-processed meat products from
this heterogeneous food group could help in elucidating the mechanisms associated with these health
eects. Thirty-three dierent commercial samples of ten processed and non-processed meat products
were digested in triplicate with a standardized static in vitro digestion method in order to mimic
profiles of small molecules formed in the gut upon digestion. A metabolomics approach based on
high-resolution mass spectrometry was used to identify metabolite profiles specific to the various
meat products. Processed meat products showed metabolite profiles clearly distinct from those of
non-processed meat. Several discriminant features related to either specific ingredients or processing
methods were identified. Those were, in particular, syringol compounds deposited in meat during
smoking, biogenic amines formed during meat fermentation and piperine and related compounds
characteristic of pepper used as an ingredient. These metabolites, characteristic of specific processed
meat products, might be used as potential biomarkers of intake for these foods. They may also help
in understanding the mechanisms linking processed meat intake and adverse health outcomes such
as cancer.