Determination of acrylamide in processed foodstuffs in Japan

Acrylamide in processed foodstuffs (32 items, 63 products) sold in supermarkets in Japan was determined by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS methods. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.2 and 0.8 ng/ml, respectively, for the LC-MS/MS method, and those were 12 and 40 ng/ml, respectively, as a brominated derivative for the GC-MS method. Repeatability, given as RSD (%), of the LC-MS/ MS method was < 5%, and that of the GC-MS was < 15%. High correlation (r(2) = 0.946) was observed between values obtained by the two methods. The acrylamide level was 439-1870 mug/kg for potato crisps, 15-3540 mug/kg for fried snacks, 17-303 mug/kg for rice crackers, and 4-54 mug/kg for instant noodles and won-tons.