An overview of microbial mitigation strategies for acrylamide: Lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and cell-free extracts

The European Food Safety Authority and World Health Organization have been screening foods for acrylamide contamination and have published various guidelines to educate industries about mitigation strategies. There are several approaches to reduce the levels of acrylamide in food. Some aim to reduce the levels of asparagine and reduced sugars, which are involved in the formation of acrylamide, whereas others aim to change environmental factors such as temperature or pH. Meanwhile, biological methods to reduce acrylamide content have produced yielded results and, in some cases, have improved food quality. This study provides an updated and comprehensive review on biological acrylamide mitigation with a special focus on lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeast, and microbial cell-free extracts. Nonetheless, we shed light on the current findings of acrylamide-related research on non-microbial approaches of mitigation and the updated dietary intake. Studies have revealed that the microbial approach to mitigate acrylamide is comparable to technological approaches. Several LAB species, yeast, and cell-free extracts displayed promising acrylamide removal capabilities. The literature has gaps in knowledge regarding acrylamide reduction using LAB, and thus, further efforts are warranted to maximize the role of microorganisms and understand their mechanisms of acrylamide removal.

Automated summary

The European Food Safety Authority and World Health Organization have been screening foods for acrylamide contamination and have published various guidelines to educate industries about mitigation strategies. Biological methods to reduce acrylamide content have yielded promising results and have improved food quality by targeting factors such as reducing levels of asparagine and sugars. Studies have shown that microbial approaches to mitigate acrylamide are comparable to technological approaches, with certain LAB species, yeast, and cell-free extracts displaying effective acrylamide removal capabilities.