High-moisture extruded pea balls exhibit lower (glyc)oxidative stability than pork balls following barbecuing and simulated gastrointestinal digestion

The (glyc)oxidation of model meat and plant-based balls during barbeque heating and subsequent simulated gastrointestinal digestion was investigated. For this purpose, balls were formulated with pork, or high-moisture extruded (HME) pea isolate, to which three types of carbohydrates (glucose, sucrose or starch) and/or a herbal mixture were added. Heated protein products were evaluated before and after digestion for the various (glyc)oxidation products, including α-oxoaldehydes (glyoxal, methylglyoxal, 3-deoxyglucosone), lipid oxidation products (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, hexanal, propanal, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), protein oxidation products (protein carbonyl compound), and advanced glycation endproducts (Nε-(carboxymethyl)lysine, Nε-(carboxyethyl)-lysine, pentosidine, Nd-(5-hydro-5-methyl-4-imidazolon-2-yl)-ornithine, argpyrimidine). Overall, digested pea balls contained similar or significantly higher levels of various (glyc)oxidation products compared to their pork counterparts. These differences could be related to several factors, including the initial (glyc)oxidative status of the raw materials, the addition of carbohydrates, and the progression of (glyc)oxidative reactions during heating and gastrointestinal digestion. Herbs only marginally affected these reactions.