Acrylamide Content of Experimental and Commercial Flatbreads

Abstract

Acrylamide, formed in baked and fried plant‐based foods, is reported to induce numerous adverse effects in cells, animals, and humans. Examples from the literature show that processed potato‐ and cereal‐based products are two major food types that seem to contribute the highest amounts of acrylamide to the diet worldwide. To meet both the demand for gluten‐free products and the interest in alternative grains, we previously developed recipes for flatbreads using a variety of different grains. In this study, we determined the acrylamide content of 15 experimental flatbreads made from a variety of flours and 21 commercial flatbreads. The application of a validated, highly sensitive HPLC/MS method revealed that flatbreads made with the following flours baked at 195.5 °C for 2 min had very low (<10 μg/kg) levels of acrylamide: brown rice, buckwheat, cornmeal, millet, oat, and quinoa. The acrylamide levels of the following flatbreads were 14 to 59 μg/kg: rye, sorghum, soy, wheat, commercial pita, pita crackers, pizza, naan, and lavash. Wheat‐based matzo breads, which are rapidly baked to a crisp texture at high heat (∼400 °C), contained 101 to 504 μg/kg acrylamide. Potato‐based products were some of the highest of the products tested, ranging from 153 (potato pancakes) to 2,070 (potato‐containing gluten‐free matzos) μg/kg acrylamide. Except for the potato‐containing products, the flatbreads made in this study were lower in acrylamide content (<3 to 21.3 μg/kg) than any of the commercial products tested. Of these experimental flatbreads, wheat‐ and sorghum‐based products were the highest. Flatbreads from alternative grains can result in gluten‐free products with high nutritional value and less acrylamide. Practical Application Acrylamide formation is dependent on both the composition of the food product and the method of cooking. Flatbreads have the potential to be high in acrylamide due to cooking methods which lead to the development of desirable browning products. Flatbreads developed in this study using alternative and ancient grains were mostly lower in acrylamide content than their wheat counterpart, suggesting that they can serve as a low‐acrylamide, gluten‐free functional food.

Acrylamide Content of Experimental Flatbreads Prepared from Potato, Quinoa, and Wheat Flours with Added Fruit and Vegetable Peels and Mushroom Powders

“…The limit of detection was 1.8 µg/kg (1.8 parts per billion) and the limit of quantification was 6 µg/kg (6 parts per billion). The acrylamide levels of the three unfortified samples in this study were very consistent with those reported in our previous work: wheat, 21.3 µg/kg and 29.4 µg/kg respectively; quinoa, 6.6 µg/kg and 6.4 µg/kg respectively; potato, 470 µg/kg and 487 µg/kg respectively [8]. It is particularly noteworthy that the presence of multiple food-based additives that contain many structurally different ingredients, as mentioned below, did not interfere with the acrylamide analysis.…”

“…Acrylamide in flatbreads was extracted and analyzed as previously described [8]. Briefly, flatbread powder (2.00 ± 0.01 g) was extracted with 19.5 mL of methanol/water 80:20 (v/v).…”

“…An Agilent C18 Eclipse Plus column (5 µm, 4.6 mm × 250 mm) was used for separation. Chromatographic and mass spectrometer conditions were identical to those used in the previous publication [8]. Acrylamide-d3 and acrylamide had retention times of 9.1 and 9.2 min, respectively.…”

“…Since its discovery as a food processing byproduct about 20 years ago, ongoing worldwide studies have been designed to (a) discover low-acrylamide foods; (b) reduce the acrylamide content of foods during industrial and home processing (baking, frying); and (c) inhibit adverse effects in vivo. Guidelines recommended by government agencies for the maximum content of acrylamide in foods and the estimated consumption of acrylamide by different populations in 14 countries have been described in our previous study [8].…”

“…As part of an effort to develop health-promoting flatbreads with low acrylamide content, we previously reported that flatbreads made using flours from ancient grains such as brown rice, buckwheat, cornmeal, millet, oats, and quinoa had a lower acrylamide content than flatbreads prepared from potato and wheat flours [8]. We are also engaged in a parallel effort designed to define the potential health benefits of antioxidative fruits and vegetable peels, as well the peel (hull) from rice, which are often discarded as a food-processing waste product [9,10,11].…”