July 1, 2005— A sprinkling of rosemary and other herbs added to meats before cooking could help to counteract potentially dangerous compounds that form when protein-rich foods are subjected to high temperatures, according to a recent study.

While the research focused on rosemary, other herbs may offer similar health benefits to those who cook at temperatures 375 degrees Fahrenheit and over, which can happen when meat is barbecued, grilled, broiled or fried.

"If you take a whiff of the spices in your spice rack, you'll find that basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary have somewhat similar aromas," said J. Scott Smith, who led the research.

"These herbs have some chemicals in common. If you sprinkle just a dash of rosemary and such herbs over your meats before cooking, you could achieve results comparable to what we found in our study."

Smith, a food chemistry professor at Kansas State University, added two common chemicals found in the herbs — rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid — to ground beef patties.

These acids are antioxidants, meaning they help to prevent oxidation that can lead to unstable atoms called free radicals, which have been linked to diseases, such as cancer.

The researchers then cooked the patties in a frying pan. As expected, the high-temperature cooking did produce heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

These compounds, like free radicals, have been linked to various cancers. The herb-fortified beef, however, reduced two HCAs when the meat was cooked between 375-400 ° Fahrenheit.

Findings were presented at the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy.

"There is no question that HCAs are bad because other studies show they modify human DNA," Smith told Discovery News. "Any reduction of them should be a health benefit."

Ideally, he said meats should be cooked low and slow with little or no burning.

For barbecue, he also said wood smoke may be better than charcoal briquettes because prior studies indicate tree and plant smoke contain antioxidants. Native Americans even used to treat certain illnesses with wood smoke.

Burning wood, however, also produces potentially cancer-causing compounds named polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, according to Smith.

"Liquid smoke has been cleaned up and has no hydrocarbons," he said. "You could minimize exposure to the hydrocarbons by using it instead of grilling."

For herb additions, Smith also suggested using fresh instead of dried, since he said some chemical breakdown always occurs when foods dry.

Navam Hettiarachchy, a food science professor at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, agrees that rosemary can improve foods.

"Rosemary is used as an antioxidant in several food products," she explained. "Antioxidants prevent rancidity. It's a natural extract used in several food products."