Abstract
Acrylamide (AA) is a neurotoxic and carcinogenic substance that has recently been discovered in food. One of the factors affecting its formation is the heat treatment method. This review discusses the microwave heating as one of the methods of thermal food processing and the influence of microwave radiation on the acrylamide formation in food. In addition, conventional and microwave heating were compared, especially the way they affect the AA formation in food. Available studies demonstrate differences in the mechanisms of microwave and conventional heating. These differences may be beneficial or detrimental depending on different processes. The published studies showed that microwave heating at a high power level can cause greater AA formation in products than conventional food heat treatment. The higher content of acrylamide in microwave-heated foods may be due to differences in its formation during microwave heating and conventional methods. At the same time, short exposure to microwaves (during blanching and thawing) at low power may even limit the formation of acrylamide during the final heat treatment. Considering the possible harmful effects of microwave heating on food quality (e.g., intensive formation of acrylamide), further research in this direction should be carried out.
Highlights
Thermal processes are used in the food industry to provide safe products with prolonged shelf-life.Baking, roasting, frying, sterilization, or microwave heating can affect food beneficially or negatively.Negative effects of thermal processing include the formation of compounds that do not occur naturally in foods and may be, inter alia, mutagenic, carcinogenic, or cytotoxic [1]
Chen et al [90] analyzed the acrylamide content of microwave-puffed shrimp chips fortified with different amounts of calcium salts and indicated that the greatest mitigation of acrylamide formation was obtained with the addition of 0.1% calcium lactate
Surdyk et al [113] reported that the acrylamide formation is a surface reaction and over 99% of AA is formed in a surface layer of food heated by conventional methods—e.g., after baking in bread crust and only 1% in crumb—showing a significant correlation between surface color and the acrylamide content in the crust
Summary
Thermal processes are used in the food industry to provide safe products with prolonged shelf-life. Negative effects of thermal processing include the formation of compounds that do not occur naturally in foods and may be, inter alia, mutagenic, carcinogenic, or cytotoxic [1]. These compounds are referred to as process contaminants, that cannot be entirely avoided during food processing. Thanks to technological development and the use of both industrial and home-cooking techniques, the knowledge of the application of the thermal treatment to achieve specific food qualities, has increased. New technologies such as microwave heating have experienced increased popularity as alternatives to conventional processing methods having various applications in the food industry and foods prepared at home, by catering services or served in restaurants. We will discuss the use of microwaves in the food industry and focus on the formation of acrylamide as a result of both microwave and conventional heating methods
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
