Homogenization in water improves the recovery rate of imidazole dipeptides in meat

The beneficial effects of the imidazole dipeptides (IDPs) carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine) and anserine (β-alanyl-3-methyl-l-histidine) in humans are widely accepted. Meats are a rich dietary source of IDPs. Therefore, accurate and reproducible methods for IDP quantification in meat should be developed to determine the quantity of meat required to ensure IDP intake at physiologically effective levels. In the present study, we attempted to establish a novel method for estimating the IDP content in meats and quantifying IDP in various meat samples. The IDP content in the samples was estimated accurately using the novel homogenization method. We observed that the IDP content of meats differed based on the species of chicken, cooking method, muscle tissue type, and region.