Acrylamide and Thermal-Processing Indexes in Market-Purchased Food

Abstract

Determining acrylamide (AA) content in foods using chromatographic methods is expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, there is a need to develop a simple, economical method for monitoring the content of acrylamide in foods. This study analysed whether there is a relationship between acrylamide levels with some heat-induced parameters, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and browning, in order to assess their usefulness in predicting the potential acrylamide levels in market-purchased food. Sixty plant-based food products were tested. The correlation coefficients for AA levels with L*, a* and b* values and HMF content were significant (p < 0.05) for French fries and potato chips. There was no statistically significant correlation between thermal-processing indexes (HMF and colour parameters) and acrylamide levels in commercial bread, breakfast cereals and biscuits. The results indicate that these classical thermal-processing indexes are not directly related to the acrylamide content in commercial cereal-based food and they cannot be indicators of AA level. Thus, the correlation between HMF and colour parameters with acrylamide content depends on the type of food and it is difficult to estimate the amount of AA based on these classical thermal-processing indexes of market-purchased food.

Effect of Microwave Heating on the Acrylamide Formation in Foods

“…Numerous studies have found that the acrylamide content in foods varies widely, on average less than 100 μg/kg, and in extreme cases from even below 10 μg/kg in high protein products, up to 100–4000 g/kg in products with high sugar content. The highest content of this compound was determined in foods subjected to thermal processes such as potato frying and roasting, cocoa and coffee roasting, bread and pastry, and cereal heat treatment [ 3 , 16 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 46 ] ( Table 1 ).…”

“…As a result, microwave products are not as tasty as those which are traditionally baked. Many researchers have associated the browning intensity with the AA content in many food products such as fried potatoes and bread, including crisp bread, coffee, biscuits [ 16 , 46 , 67 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 ]. According to some authors, the browning of food products during technological processing may be used as an indicator of acrylamide content [ 17 , 114 , 115 ].…”

Assessment of the acrylamide level of cereal-based products from Romania market in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158

“…From the biscuits and wafers category analysed, 31% of the tested samples exceeded the benchmark level of Regulation 2158/2017. Michalak et al (2019) investigated the AA level of food products purchased from the Poland supermarkets and in the case of biscuits, the AA content was exceeded for all ten samples analysed, the mean AA content being higher with 49% than the benchmark level. In a study realized by Tölgyesi and Sharma (2020) on 42 biscuits samples purchased from Hungary shops it was shown that the AA level ranged between 20 and 342 μg/kg, being less than the one set by legislation.…”

Acrylamide Toxicity and Mitigation Strategies: A Summary of Recent Reports

“…[13][14][15][16] According to recent reports, acrylamide has been found in many commonly consumed foods and has shown to cause hazardous effects on humans and animals. [1,2] Acrylamide levels in food differ based on the food content, the cooking duration, and the technique employed. Studies on acrylamide toxicity, risk assessment, and mitigation have been extensively carried out, which have provided great insight into the current level of understanding of this health hazard.…”

“…Acrylamide (AA) or acrylic amide is a colourless, odourless, water-soluble crystalline solid, commonly used in the production of dyes, organic compounds, and other industrial purposes. [1][2][3][4] This is a potential carcinogen, and the nervous system and the reproductive system…”