Formation of acrylamide in potato products and its dietary exposure

Acrylamide is formed during baking and frying of potato and cereal foodstuffs and is considered as a suspected human carcinogen. Potatoes are particularly susceptible to the formation of this process contaminant. Due to their frequent consumption, these products moreover contribute significantly to the dietary acrylamide exposure. Therefore, this study focuses on these foodstuffs. The Maillard reaction plays a key role in the formation of acrylamide. This reaction also contributes to the pleasant sensory characteristics of deep-fried potatoes, such as colour, taste and odour. Consequently, treatments which lower the formation of acrylamide also have, to a certain extent, an impact on the final product quality. A multifactorial approach is thus required to lower acrylamide contamination without losing the attractive and specific product characteristics. In this work, the impact and importance of different process-bound factors during the formation of acrylamide were investigated. An integrated research methodology was applied, starting from the pre-treatment of the raw material, through well-controlled and repeatable heating experiments, and ending with an accurate determination of acrylamide in the heated samples by means of LC-MS/MS. The proposed research shows that the type and the degree of deep-frying oil degradation did not significantly influence the formation of acrylamide, in contrast with the amount of oil and water present in the food matrix. Besides, it was shown that the link between acrylamide formation and French fry colour was sensitive to, among other things, the glucose/fructose ratio in the potato. This hinders a univocal prediction of the acrylamide contamination based on the product colour. Furthermore, acrylamide could be significantly reduced upon addition of specific amino acids, acids and salts. The impact of these additives on the sensory quality of the final product was assessed as well. The components and concentration levels had to be applied judiciously in order not to generate undesired product taste or colour. Finally, a probabilistic exposure assessment was performed under a population of faculty personnel and students. Biscuits, French fries, bread and chocolate were the most important sources of acrylamide intake. A nutritionally balanced diet with a lot of fruit and vegetables could possibly contribute to a lowered exposure to acrylamide.

Grantor dc:publisher

Ghent University. Faculty of Bioscience Engineering

Year dc:date

2007

Author dc:creator

• Mestdagh, Frédéric

Contributors dc:contributor

• De Meulenaer, Bruno
• Van Peteghem, Carlos

• Agriculture and Food Sciences

Statement dc:rights

• info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/468218
urn:isbn:9789059891715
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/468218/file/1879764

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:archive.ugent.be:468218