Effects of quercetin and l-ascorbic acid on heterocyclic amines and advanced glycation end products production in roasted eel and lipid-mediated inhibition mechanism analysis

•The formation of HAs and AGEs in roasted eel was determined.•The intervention mechanism of quercetin and l-ascorbic acid on HAs/AGEs was studied.•The effect of key lipids on HAs and AGEs generation was analyzed. Eel is a commercially important marine fish, frequently featured as sushi or roasted preparations. This study determined the formation of heterocyclic amines (HAs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in roasted eel and evaluated the inhibitory mechanism of quercetin and l-ascorbic acid on their formation. The results indicate a respective reduction of 75.07% and 84.72% in total HAs, alongside a decline of 23.03% and 39.14% in AGEs. Additionally, fundamental parameters of roasted eel, lipid oxidation indicators and precursors were measured to elucidate the mechanisms and impact of natural antioxidants on HAs and AGEs formation in roasted eel. Furthermore, endeavors were made to probe into the molecular mechanisms governing the influence of key differential lipids on the generation of HAs and AGEs through lipid-mics analysis. This research emphasizes the potential of natural antioxidants in preventing harmful substances formation during eel thermal processing, which is helpful to food manufacturers for healthier food production.