Marinate red meat to limit the risk of colorectal cancer

Researchers at INRA (Toxalim, Toulouse), who are involved since a long time in this science field, the Agroindustrial Technical Institute for the meat sector (ADIV) and the Human Nutrition Research Center (CRNH) in Auvergne, have revealed the interest in marinating beef before eating it.

• They showed that marinating beef in an aqueous mixture of olive and grape extract, rich in phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties, such as resveratrol and hydroxytyrosol, is effective, in rats and laboratory mice, to reduce colorectal carcinogenesis and lipid oxidation in fecal contents.

• Furthermore, in humans, this marinade limits the increase in the oxidation of polyunsaturated lipids of the fecal contents in healthy volunteers and this without impairing the organoleptic acceptability of the product. This corresponds to techniques commonly used by the industry and its protective effect persists when the meat is served rare or well-done.

These results make it possible to propose, in parallel with communication on consumption thresholds for red meats, new transformation methods to limit the risk of colorectal cancer associated with their consumption by inhibiting the reactions catalyzed by the heme iron - an aqueous marinade with a suitable phenolic profile, proving sufficient for that purpose.

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Read the press release on the Inra National website(in French)

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