Abstract
In 2019, the European Commission recommended monitoring the presence of acrylamide in certain foods not included in Regulation 2158/2017, to consider other sources of exposure to the contaminant. In the present study, eleven groups of processed foods commonly consumed in Spain were classified, according to their food matrix, into potato-based food, cereal-based food and food based on cereal mixed with meat, fish or vegetables. Samples were collected from three different settings: household, catering services and industrial origin, to evaluate the influence of the food preparation site on acrylamide formation. The highest concentrations of acrylamide were observed in chips (French fries), especially those prepared at home. Although at lower levels, all the other foods also contained significant concentrations of acrylamide, confirming the need to control its content in foods not included in the EU regulation. Industrially processed foods made a lower contribution to acrylamide exposure, probably due to the more stringent controls exercised on culinary processes in this context. The higher levels recorded for households and catering services highlight the need for greater awareness of culinary processes and for measures to be adopted in these settings to limit the formation of acrylamide in food preparation.
Highlights
In recent years, economic and sociocultural factors have produced significant changes in eating habits in developed countries
The selection criteria included food preferences, contemporary lifestyles and the culinary preparations routinely employed in the three settings considered as possible scenarios for acrylamide exposure
These data are of the same order of magnitude as those reported by Bermudo et al [19] (135 μg/kg), Delgado-Andrade et al [20] (128 μg/kg) and Branciari et al [21] (151 μg/kg), but lower than those of DelgadoAndrade et al [22] (240 μg/kg) (Table 2). These results show that among the food groups sampled, those based on potatoes are the main contributors to the total exposure to dietary acrylamide [4]
Summary
Economic and sociocultural factors have produced significant changes in eating habits in developed countries. ‘fast food’ options have become firmly established among certain population groups, at the expense of fresh food [2] This shift in dietary habits involves a change in the profile of foods consumed, resulting in a greater consumption of precooked products, to be quickly and prepared or finished at home. According to a 2020 government report on food consumption in Spain [3], the consumption of ready-cooked dishes increased by 11.3% since 2019 In many cases, these food preparations are based on a protein source combined with cereals or potato. The main aim of the present study is to establish the range of acrylamide exposure from common culinary preparations within Spanish diets, considering household, industrial and catering settings, and taking into account recent changes in patterns of food consumption
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