Formation, Mitigation, and Detection of Acrylamide in Foods

Acrylamide is classified as a toxic food contaminant, and it is formed in carbohydrate rich food when heated > 120 degrees C through the Maillard reaction. The main parameters that affect acrylamide formation in foods are the composition of the raw food, and time-temperature of food processing. International organizations have warned against the existence of acrylamide in foods and mandated to limit its consumption to prevent its adverse health effects. This review summarizes some of the innovative and the conventional mitigation techniques. The innovative mitigation techniques are based on the use of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and cell extracts used alone or in combination with electrical pulses, while the conventional techniques are blanching, microwave, and the addition of food ingredients in which their effectiveness is related to the control of the temperature and the cooking time. Although LC-MS and GC-MS with or without derivatization are cumbersome procedures, they give accurate results and reduce the interferences of compounds. On the other hand, the current trend for acrylamide detection in food matrices is using simple, fast, and inexpensive techniques such as the filtration-assisted approach for optical detection and the PHYTON imaging program. Yet, their application needs an exhaustive validation.

Automated summary

Acrylamide is a toxic food contaminant formed in carbohydrate-rich food through the Maillard reaction. The formation of acrylamide in food is influenced by the composition of raw food and the time-temperature of food processing. Innovative mitigation techniques involve the use of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and cell extracts, while conventional techniques include blanching, microwave, and the addition of food ingredients. LC-MS and GC-MS are accurate but cumbersome methods for acrylamide detection, while simpler and more cost-effective techniques such as filtration-assisted optical detection and the PHYTON imaging program are being explored.