Rosemary? Oh, baby!

More studies on food safety have come out in the last few days. This one indicates that a compound found in rosemary and also in oregano, basil and sage reduce cancer-forming compounds when added to ground beef before cooking. This from Reuters:

The investigators found that when they added antioxidants extracted from rosemary to ground beef, the hamburgers contained smaller amounts of heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, carcinogenic compounds that form when muscle meats like beef, pork and poultry are cooked at high temperatures.

The antioxidants likely reduce HCAs by blocking the chemical process that creates the cancer-causing compounds, Smith noted.

I don't think anybody is exactly sure what happens in the cooking process but a concensus seems to be forming- avoid flare-ups when grilling and don't eat the charred bits. Of course, when grilling you should be doing this anyway...