Acrylamide Levels in Heat-Treated Egyptian Foods

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the acrylamide levels in selected heat-treated food items, commercially determine foods from the Egyptian market As with some home-prepared foods as part of the traditional ways of food preparation to study the impact of the temperature and time on formation of acrylamide which classified as a Group 2A carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that affect the human nervous system. Acrylamide levels were determined in around 70 food samples using liquid chromatography coupled to U.V spectrometric detection LC-UV and the results were expressed in μg kg-1. The food items were also subjected to the relevant high-temperature>120°C or contain high carbohydrates and asparagines as well as those exposed during the processing to high temperatures. The investigated samples included cereal productssnack, rice, pasta noodles, tuberssweet potato, nuts almonds, pine nuts and chestnut & legume, vegetables potatoes, onion,dried fruitsraisins, dates& prunes,,sauces and beverages coffee, cocoa. Roasting and frying experiments under different process conditions were done on potatoes, sweet potato, pasta, rice, corn and noodles which represents a different preparation ways showed that acrylamide increases with the length of exposure to heat; surface color browning as an indicator of acrylamide levels in some foods; and that time has a much stronger effect on acrylamide formation than temperature. The obtained results showed that the acrylamide content ranged from < 11-1845 g/kg. Highest acrylamide concentrations were found in roasted nuts, while only moderate acrylamide contents were found in dried fruits and roasted bakery product. While the lowest value were in fried sweet and bean flafel.

Monitoring of acrylamide carcinogen in selected heat-treated foods from Saudi Arabia

“…The values obtained in present study were found in good agreement and fall in between previously detected acrylamide concentrations [12,23,29]. In pine nuts, walnuts and raisins, De Paola et al [29] has reported that the acrylamide concentration was found below the limit of detection, whereas, Atwa et al [30] have detected the acrylamide in pine nuts only and the concentration ranging from 144 to 1845 lg/kg. The acrylamide amounts in pine nuts, walnuts and raisins are completely differing with those obtained in earlier studies [29,30], however, they are under permissible limits as recommended by the WHO.…”

Occurrence of acrylamide carcinogen in Arabic coffee Qahwa, coffee and tea from Saudi Arabian market

“…In the Arabic coffee (light roasted) sample from the Saudi Arabia, the author has not detected any amount of acrylamide 18 . Whereas, the studies performed in the Egypt, the author has detected acrylamide in both Arabic coffee (272 μg kg −1 ) and Arabic coffee (dark, 480 μg kg −1 ) samples 19 . The significant differences in the results might be due to the different analytical methodologies had applied or the samples had been thermally processed at different roasting temperatures which favor the acrylamide formation 20 .…”

“…Apart from sample 7 (Maatouk), the other samples did not demonstrate a huge variation in acrylamide concentrations. Previously, a few studies relating to the determination of acrylamide in Arabic coffee samples have been reported 18 19 . In particular, one Arabic coffee (light roasted) sample from the Saudi Arabia 19 and two samples including Arabic coffee and Arabic coffee (dark) from the Egypt 18 have been studied.…”

“…Previously, a few studies relating to the determination of acrylamide in Arabic coffee samples have been reported 18 19 . In particular, one Arabic coffee (light roasted) sample from the Saudi Arabia 19 and two samples including Arabic coffee and Arabic coffee (dark) from the Egypt 18 have been studied. The obtained acrylamide concentrations are found totally different from our results.…”

“…This might have caused of high roasting temperature (160–210 °C) applied in sample 1 than sample 16. Formerly, a complete assessment on amounts of acrylamide in various food products has been reported 19 , particularly on coffee by the European Food Safety Authority 21 23 , and in few samples by Guenther et al . and others 22 23 24 .…”