Chapter 18 - Interaction between Bioactive Carbonyl Compounds and Asparagine and Impact on Acrylamide

Abstract

Acrylamide in heated foods is formed as a result of condensation of asparagine with a carbonyl source. Besides the most commonly known α-hydroxycarbonyl compounds such as fructose and glucose, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural, and other sugar degradation products bearing carbonyl groups also contribute to acrylamide formation. In addition to these carbonyl compounds bioactive carbonyl compounds also participate in Maillard reaction yielding to acrylamide formation. Firstly, the role of bioactive carbonyl compounds in acrylamide formation, their efficiencies in converting asparagine into acrylamide, and the factors affecting their reactivities are described in this chapter. Competitiveness of bioactive carbonyl compounds with α-hydroxycarbonyl compounds is reviewed as well. Formation mechanism between bioactive carbonyl compounds and asparagine is explained and finally the way of limiting the reactivity of bioactive carbonyl compounds is mentioned. Among the bioactive carbonyl compounds, curcumin, ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, silymarin, vanillin, pyridoxal, and some carbonyls of virgin olive oil phenolic extracts are reviewed as precursors of acrylamide. Bioactive carbonyl compounds compete with α-hydroxycarbonyl compounds in reacting with asparagine, and the kinetic behavior of acrylamide formation depends on the reactivity of bioactive carbonyl compounds. Besides the chemical reactivity of carbonyl compounds, melting point is also an indicator in systems where the bioactive carbonyl and α-hydroxycarbonyl compounds are together.