Reduction of Acrylamide Formation in Sweet Bread with L-Asparaginase Treatment

Acrylamide, 2-propenamide, has the chemical formula . It is produced at elevated levels in high temperature fried and baked foods. It has adverse effects on human health and is proven to be neurotoxic, genotoxic, carcinogenic, and toxic to reproductive system. The aim of this paper was to reduce acrylamide formation in bakery products such as sweet bread by enzyme treatment. l-Asparaginase produced from Cladosporium sp. was treated to wheat-based dough at different concentrations (50-300 U). There was no change in the rheological properties of wheat flour and physico-sensory characteristics of bread with l-asparaginase treatment. Moisture, sugars, l-asparagine, acrylamide, and some indicators of Millard reaction (hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), color, browning) were estimated. With increase in l-asparaginase level the acrylamide formation was reduced. At 300 U, there was 97 % and 73 % reduction of acrylamide formation in the crust and crumb regions of bread, respectively. HMF, a common intermediate product in the Maillard reaction and a genotoxic compound via 5-sulfoxymethylfurfural, also decreased in l-asparaginase-treated bread samples. These results indicated the potential of l-asparaginase enzyme for industrial and domestic applications in reducing harmful Maillard reaction compounds.