Study on Mitigation of Acrylamide Formation in Cookies by 5 Antioxidants

Abstract

This study investigated the capacity of various antioxidants in reducing the formation of acrylamide during cookie processing. Five antioxidants, antioxidants of bamboo leaves (AOB), sodium erythorbate (SE), tea polyphenols (TP), vitamin E (VE), and tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), were individually added into cookie formulas, and acrylamide content was determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Cookie quality indexes, including flavor, brittleness, and water activity, were also evaluated. Results showed that the maximum inhibitory rate of acrylamide by AOB was achieved with addition of 0.2 g/kg AOB. Addition of AOB (0.2 g/kg), TP (0.1 g/kg), VE (0.1 g/kg), SE (0.1 g/kg), and TBHQ (0.2 g/kg) mitigated the formation of acrylamide by 63.9%, 43.0%, 71.2%, 49.6%, and 54.1%, respectively. Sensory evaluation showed that the color, texture, and flavor of cookies processed with either AOB (0.2 g/kg) or VE (0.1 g/kg) had no significant difference compared to control cookies (P > 0.05). The present study indicated that AOB (0.2 g/kg) and VE (0.1 g/kg) could not only effectively mitigate the formation of acrylamide, but also retain acceptable sensory attributes of cookies. This work shows the potential effectiveness of antioxidants in food processing to decrease acrylamide formation. There is an urgent need for reducing the level of acrylamide produced during food processing. This study found that certain antioxidants (antioxidant of bamboo leaves and vitamin E) could effectively inhibit acrylamide formation in cookie processing without affecting sensory properties. The results suggested that the application of antioxidants could be an effective method to decrease acrylamide formation.