Presence Of Acrylamide In Foods Research Articles

Mechanistic evidence for the effect of sulphur-based additive: methionine, on acrylamide reduction

ABSTRACT The unavoidable presence of acrylamide in foods has fuelled the search for a suitable food additive, one that can successfully mitigate dietary acrylamide levels without changing food quality or compromising the health of consumers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a sulphur-based additive and amino acid, methionine, on acrylamide reduction. Differential scanning calorimetry, supported by chromatographic measurements, has shown that methionine interacts with acrylamide at a possible optimum temperature of 160°C, thereby disfavouring acrylamide polymerisation. Analysis of the methionine–acrylamide interaction via density functional theoretical modelling (DFT/6-31 + G(d)/RCAM-B3LYP) revealed that methionine’s reducing effect may be driven by a Michael-type conjugation of the vinyl group of acrylamide at both the sulphur atom (∆Gf = −53 kJ mol−1) and the amino group (∆Gf = −11.84 kJ mol−1) of methionine. The former conjugation pathway results in a product that is more thermodynamically feasible.

Is Acrylamide really a food safety issue?

PurposeAcrylamide is a compound found in several food products. Due to the toxicity of this compound, research also seeks strategies to modify industrial and homemade processes, impacting on the reduction of the compound. This paper aims to discuss the aspects surrounding the presence of acrylamide in foods.Design/methodology/approachPublished literature on the presence of acrylamide in foods and on its effects has been reviewed. This paper explores the importance of this compound, summarizes the knowledge of its formation and gathers data on its incidence in food and the possibilities of mitigation. Special attention is given to an evaluation of the toxicological tests applied, to analyze whether acrylamide can be considered as a food safety problem.FindingsHuman exposure to food with high levels of acrylamide varies in their levels regarding the consumption of food in the diet and not only by the level of the compound present in them. Although the compound is well defined as toxic to humans, the association between its intake and most common cancers may not be directly related.Originality/valueDepending on the approach of the researchers, contradictory results are obtained, showing the importance of this topic to the development of healthy food products. Further research is still needed to validate the potential effects of acrylamide on human health.

Introduction to the Special Issue: New Frontiers in Acrylamide Study in Foods—Formation, Analysis and Exposure Assessment

Acrylamide is a chemical contaminant that naturally originates during the thermal processing of many foods. Since 2002, worldwide institutions with competencies in food safety have promoted activities aimed at updating knowledge for a revaluation of the risk assessment of this process contaminant. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) ruled in 2015 that the presence of acrylamide in foods increases the risk of developing cancer in any age group of the population. Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 establishes recommended mitigation measures for the food industry and reference levels to reduce the presence of acrylamide in foods and, consequently, its harmful effects on the population. This Special Issue explores recent advances on acrylamide in foods, including a novel insight on its chemistry of formation and elimination, effective mitigation strategies, conventional and innovative monitoring techniques, risk/benefit approaches and exposure assessment, in order to enhance our understanding for this process contaminant and its dietary exposure.

Important factors to consider for acrylamide mitigation in potato crisps using pulsed electric fields

Abstract This preliminary study aimed to compare the application of pulsed electric field (PEF) with a traditional blanching as pre-treatments before frying for the mitigation of acrylamide content in potato crisps. Measuring the degree of cell disintegration index (po) and the changes in water electrical conductivity during washing of potato slices, PEF protocol and sample preparation scheme were optimized. Peeled potato slices (thickness 1.5 ± 0.2 mm) were subjected to PEF (1.5 kV/cm, pulse duration 10 μs, total treatment time 10 ms, pulse frequency 100 Hz) and to blanching (85 °C for 3.5 min) pre-treatments and then to washing in water, evaluating the reduction of acrylamide precursors (reducing sugars and free asparagine). After frying (175 °C, 3 min), product quality, in terms of colour, texture and acrylamide content were evaluated. Results showed that PEF promoted acrylamide precursors leaching followed by a reduction of the final acrylamide content of around 30%, significantly higher if compared to the reduction obtained with blanching, with only slight modifications of the final quality of the product, in terms of colour and texture. Industrial relevance The Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 of 20 November 2017 has introduced new benchmark levels and mitigation strategies for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in foods, directing food businesses to the research of measures to lower the acrylamide formation in foods. The actual industrial production process of fried potato crisps involves the use of many mitigation strategies, such as a blanching of raw potatoes. However, the traditional blanching treatment presents several practical drawbacks and leads to undesirable changes of the product quality. The application of PEF as a pre-treatment could reduce the acrylamide content in deep-fat fried potato crisps. This preliminary study gives important indications regarding the possibility of combining a PEF pre-treatment on raw potato slices with subsequent industrial processing steps for the production of potato crisps with low acrylamide concentration.

Determination of acrylamide content in processed starchy foods in Hanoi

Acrylamide is a toxic chemical formed in high temperature-processed foods (e.g., Potato snacks, instant noodle, etc.). Previous studied showed that acrylamide is a carcinogenic agent in human and animals. Evaluation of acrylamide contents in some processed starchy foods has been performed in order to investigate the presence of acrylamide in foods in Hanoi. This study is to validate a LC-MS/MS method for determination of acrylamide in food and to determine the acrylamide content in some processed starchy foods available in Hanoi, Vietnam. Samples of potato chips collected from food shops in Hanoi were tested. The acrylamide content was determined by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The method was validated for accuracy, precision, linearity, and recovery. The assay was linear over the entire range of calibration standards i.e., a concentration range from 1 ng/mL to 2500 ng/mL (r2 >0.996). The precision and recoveries were obtained based on the AOAC guidelines. The lower limit of quantification of the analytical method of acrylamide was 24,82 ng/mL. The validated method was successfully applied to determine acrylamide in 28 samples of potato snacks. The content of acrylamide ranged from 58.0 to 1829.6 mg/kg. Acrylamide was detected in all samples, nevertheless, the acrylamide content was lower than that from other studies published in 2009 in Europe.  

The ameliorative effects of boron against acrylamide-induced oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and metabolic changes in rats

Acrylamide (ACR) is a hazardous substance associated with the accumulation of excessive reactive oxygen species and causes oxidative stress. Presence of ACR in foods leads to public health concerns due to its known neurotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic effects. The present study investigated the ameliorative effects of boron (B) against ACR exposed rats. Forty Wistar albino male rats, fed with low-boron diet, were randomly and equally allocated into 5 groups. The control group was orally treated with physiological saline as placebo, the second group was orally given 15 mg/kg ACR. The other groups were orally treated with 15 mg/kg ACR and B at the levels of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg/day for 60 days, respectively. ACR-treatment significantly increased malondialdehyde levels whereas decreased glutathione levels in rat tissues. Also, ACR-treatment increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in erythrocytes and tissues. Meanwhile, mRNA expression levels of NFĸB, IFN-γ, IL-1β, and TNF-α in liver and brain of rats were increased under ACR treatment. Additionally, ACR caused a significant decrease in the level of high-density lipoprotein, with increase in the levels of low-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, cholesterol, glucose, urea nitrogen, and creatinine. Lastly, B alleviated histopathological alterations induced by ACR in rat tissues.

Protective effect of allicin against acrylamide-induced hepatocyte damage in vitro and in vivo

Acrylamide (AA) is known to be a neurotoxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic compound. The presence of AA in foods causes public health concerns. In our previous study, we found that allicin can effectively reduce AA content in Maillard model system. However, there has been no report on whether allicin can reduce AA-induced toxicity in vitro and in vivo. In our present study, we evaluated the protective effect of allicin against AA-induced hepatocyte damage in cultured mouse primary hepatocytes and mouse liver. Our date suggested that allicin significantly decreased the levels of maleic dialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-desoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) both in vitro and in vivo study. Allicin also markedly increased the activity of total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and level of glutathione (GSH). The in vitro study revealed that 15μM allicin was the optimum concentration for inhibiting AA-induced hepatocyte damage. The in vivo study revealed that 20mg/kgb.w./day allicin was the optimum dose for inhibiting AA-induced hepatocyte damage. The protective effects of allicin against AA-induced hepatocyte damage may be due to its ability to scavenge free radicals and its effective recovery of the antioxidative defense system, and its ability to block the epoxidation process of AA to GA by inhibiting P450 enzyme.

Acrylamide: Considerations for Risk Management

The presence of acrylamide in many carbohydrate-rich foods is due to its formation during conventional heating and preparation methods. Although acrylamide is established to be a toxic substance, the implications to public health from the amounts found in food are not clear. A better scientific understanding is required to help determine whether, and to what extent, formal risk management action might be necessary. Since acrylamide in food was highlighted in 2002, numerous investigations and initiatives have been developed, including international collaborations across governments, industry, research organizations, and consumer representations. The newly generated information is being used to help the overall understanding of this issue. In particular, new information on health aspects will be important to update the scientific risk assessment. The basis for decisions on possible risk management measures would then be clearer. If future risk assessment concludes that the amounts of acrylamide in food can pose a health threat, then options for risk management will need to be considered, such as limits, guide levels, codes of practice, guidance information, and advice to the food and catering industries and to consumers. In the meantime, it is possible to benefit from progress already made on how acrylamide is formed in food and on ways to lower the amounts present. Raising awareness to the approaches that can reduce the presence of acrylamide in food should be encouraged. Where feasible, such approaches can be assessed for practical use in production, processing, and preparation of the relevant food products.

A Review of Acrylamide: An Industry Perspective on Research, Analysis, Formation, and Control

Acrylamide is a synthetic monomer with a wide scope of industrial applications, mainly as a precursor in the production of several polymers, such as polyacrylamide. The main uses of polyacrylamides are in water and wastewater treatment processes, pulp and paper processing, and mining and mineral processing. The announcement by the Swedish National Food Administration in April 2002 of the presence of acrylamide predominantly in heat-treated carbohydrate-rich foods sparked intensive investigations into acrylamide, encompassing the occurrence, chemistry, agricultural practices, and toxicology, in order to establish if there is a potential risk to human health from the presence of this contaminant in the human diet. The link of acrylamide in foods to the Maillard reaction and, in particular, to the amino acid asparagine has been a major step forward in elucidating the first feasible chemical route of formation during the preparation and processing of food. Other probably minor pathways have also been proposed, including acrolein and acrylic acid. This review addresses the analytical and mechanistic aspects of the acrylamide issue and summarizes the progress made to date by the European food industries in these key areas. Essentially, it presents experimental results generated under laboratory model conditions, as well as under actual food processing conditions covering different food categories, such as potatoes, biscuits, cereals, and coffee. Since acrylamide formation is closely linked to food composition, factors such as the presence of sugars and availability of free amino acids are also considered. Many new findings that contribute towards a better understanding of the formation and presence of acrylamide in foods are presented. Many national authorities across the world are assessing the dietary exposure of consumers to acrylamide, and scientific projects have commenced to gather new information about the toxicology of acrylamide. These are expected to provide new scientific knowledge that will help to clarify whether or not there is a risk to human health from the consumption of foods containing low amounts of acrylamide.