According to a research conducted by Dr. Bing-Huei Chen and colleagues it was found that marinating meats may help reduce unhealthy cholesterol compounds that form during cooking.
The research was conduced in Fu Jen University in Taipei, Taiwan. Cholesterol Oxidation Products (COPs) is produced when cholesterol-rich foods are processed or heated in excess. COPs are deleterious and affect the body cells leading to heart disease or cancer. But this could be avoided if the meat products or substances rich in cholesterol are marinated in marinades made with soy sauce or sugar.To study the effects of these marinades on COPs scientist soaked ground pork and hard-boiled eggs in these marinades. They found that all of the marinades cut COP formation during cooking. Sugar marinade was found to be particularly effective and they generated browning reaction products. These act as antioxidants neutralizing the adverse effects of COPs. Isoflavones present in soy sauce also help quash COP formation. Further research is necessary to identify other marinades that have such anti-COP ability.
