Alternative food matrices for snack formulations in terms of acrylamide formation and mitigation

Development of a greener and sustainable method to determine acrylamide in corn products by LC-MS/MS: Evaluation of levels in corn-based products

Acrylamide (AA) is produced through the reaction between sugars and amino acids present in starchy foods cooked at high temperature. It is classified as probably carcinogenic to humans. In 2019, the European Commission reported a list of foods for monitoring the presence of AA, which includes cereal snacks. This study presents the development and validation of an analytical approach for detecting AA in popcorn and corn-based snacks. It includes solid-liquid extraction and clean-up with dispersive solid phase extraction followed by analysis through liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The proposed method was characterized in terms of recoveries (84-105%), and precision (< 16.1%). Limits of quantification were 17 and 60 μg kg-1 for corn and popcorn, respectively. Sustainability of the methodology was evaluated using AGREEprep and BAGI, providing values of 0.43 and 65.0, respectively. Twenty-four corn-based products were analyzed, with AA levels from 219 to 418 μg kg-1.

Analysis of Maillard reaction precursors and secondary metabolites in Chilean potatoes and neoformed contaminants during frying

Southern Chile native potatoes are an interesting raw material to produce novel snacks like colored potato chips. These novel products should be comprehensively evaluated for the presence of undesirable compounds such as acrylamide, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furan, the main neoformed contaminants in starchy rich fried foods. This study evaluated the neoformed contaminant levels and oil content on chips made from eleven Chilean potato accessions and compared them with commercial samples. The neoformed contaminant contents were related to Maillard reaction precursor levels (reducing sugars and asparagine) and secondary metabolites (phenolic compounds and carotenoids). Neoformed contaminants correlated well among them and were weakly correlated with reducing sugars and asparagine. Acrylamide level in native potato chips ranged from 738.2 to 1998.6 μg kg-1 while from 592.6 to 2390.5 μg kg-1 in commercial samples. Thus, there is need to implement neoformed contaminant mitigation strategies at different steps of the production chain of colored potato chips.

Acrylamide in alternative snacks to potato: A review

The snack food market has been changing to keep up with the growing demand for healthier products and, as a result, alternative products to traditional potato chips have been emerging to provide health-related benefits. Extrusion, frying, and baking are the main techniques used worldwide in the processing of snacks and are among the main reasons for the formation of toxic compounds induced by heat, such as acrylamide. This contaminant is formed during thermal processing in foods heated at high temperatures and rich in carbohydrates. Processed potato-based products have been pointed out as the main contributors to acrylamide dietary exposure. Many studies have been conducted on potato chips since the discovery of this contaminant in foods and research on the formation of acrylamide in snacks from other vegetables has begun to be conducted more recently. Thus, this review aims to present a detailed discussion on the occurrence of acrylamide in alternative vegetable snacks that are consumed as being healthier and to address relevant questions about the effectiveness of mitigation strategies that have been developed for these products. Through this research, it was observed that, depending on the vegetable, the levels of this contaminant can be quite variable. Alternative snacks, such as sweet potato, carrot and beetroot may also contain high levels of acrylamide and need to be monitored even more closely than potatoes snacks, as less information is available on these food products. Furthermore, various pretreatments (e.g. bleaching, immersion in solutions containing chemical substances) and processing conditions (heating methods, time, temperature) can reduce the formation of acrylamide (54-99 %) in alternative vegetable snacks.

Quality characteristics, antioxidant activity, and acrylamide content of lotus root chips prepared using different processing methods

Lotus root chips were prepared using five different methods (freeze-drying, microwaving, air-frying, oil-frying, and oven-baking), and their quality characteristics, bioactive substance content, and antioxidant activity were determined. The amount of acrylamide generated during manufacturing was determined. The proximate content of the chips varied depending on the manufacturing method. Based on color determination, lightness was highest in freeze-dried chips and lowest in oven-baked chips. Oil-fried chips had the highest redness, yellowness, and browning index. The total polyphenol, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activities were the highest in freeze-dried chips and the lowest in oven-baked chips. Air-fried chips had the highest (746.92 µg/g) acrylamide content, while freeze-dried chips had the lowest (1.82 µg/g). Compared to other methods, freeze-drying retained the maximum bioactive compound content and antioxidant activity, leading to the lowest acrylamide formation. These findings highlight a suitable method and provide basic data for future lotus root chip manufacturing.

Identifying high-risk factors and mitigation strategies for acrylamide formation in air-fried lotus root chips: Impact of cooking parameters, including temperature, time, presoaking, and seasoning

This study was conducted to identify high-risk factors and mitigation strategies for acrylamide formation in air-fried lotus root chips by studying the impact of various cooking parameters, including temperature, time, presoaking, and pre-seasoning treatments. The temperature and time had a surprisingly high impact on acrylamide formation. The chips prepared at high temperatures with longer cooking times contained an extremely high acrylamide content, reaching 12,786 ng/g (e.g., 170°C/19 min). A particularly concerning discovery was that the chips with extremely high acrylamide content (up to 17 times higher than the EU benchmark level for potato chips) did not appear overcooked or taste burnt. Higher cooking temperatures required shorter cooking times to properly cook lotus root chips for consumption. A high temperature with a short cooking time (170°C/13 min) greatly benefited acrylamide reduction compared to low temperature with a long cooking time (150°C/19 min). Presoaking in a 0.1% acetic acid solution and pre-seasoning with 1% salt reduced acrylamide levels by 61% and 47%, respectively. However, presoaking in water, vinegar solution, and citric acid solution did not significantly decrease the acrylamide content in the chips. Furthermore, some seasonings significantly increased acrylamide levels (up to 7.4 times higher). For the first time, these findings underscore the high risks associated with air-frying lotus root chips without considering these factors. This study also provides proper air-frying parameters and pretreatment strategies for minimizing acrylamide formation in air-fried lotus chips.

Reducing Dietary Acrylamide Exposure from Wheat Products through Crop Management and Imaging

The nutritional safety of wheat-based food products is compromised by the presence of the processing contaminant acrylamide. Reduction of the key acrylamide precursor, free (soluble, non-protein) asparagine, in wheat grain can be achieved through crop management strategies, but such strategies have not been fully developed. We ran two field trials with 12 soft (biscuit) wheat varieties and different nitrogen, sulfur, potassium, and phosphorus fertilizer combinations. Our results indicated that a nitrogen-to-sulfur ratio of 10:1 kg/ha was sufficient to prevent large increases in free asparagine, whereas withholding potassium or phosphorus alone did not cause increases in free asparagine when sulfur was applied. Multispectral measurements of plants in the field were able to predict the free asparagine content of grain with an accuracy of 71%, while a combination of multispectral, fluorescence, and morphological measurements of seeds could distinguish high free asparagine grain from low free asparagine grain with an accuracy of 86%. The acrylamide content of biscuits correlated strongly with free asparagine content and with color measurements, indicating that agronomic strategies to decrease free asparagine would be effective and that quality control checks based on product color could eliminate high acrylamide biscuit products.

The Changes in Starch Gelatinization Behavior under the Influence of Acetic Acid in Vegetable Sponge Cake Batter in Order to Obtain New Snacks

(1) Background: Adding white vinegar to the batter of a sponge cake without biological fermentation requires the effects of acidification on the batter to be checked, in particular concerning batter-to-crumb transition. (2) Methods: µDSC analyses were carried out on three batters formulated from flour, colza oil, salt, carrot, and water with or without the addition of white vinegar. (3) Results: Wheat, chickpea, and quinoa starches had gelatinization temperatures (TGe) of 60.1, 72.4, and 70.5 °C at batter humidity and gelatinization enthalpies (ΔHGe) of 9.2, 15, and 9.1 J/gdry starch. Due to the effect of the salt and carrot, the corresponding wholemeal batter had TGe of 64.2, 74.1, and 72.4 °C and ΔHGe of 10.5, 15.3, and 10.9 J/gdry starch. Acidified batters at pH 4 saw their TGe decrease, and their enthalpies increase compared to the controls. The calorimetric study of model mixtures revealed three different evolutions of ΔHGe as a function of pH, explained by the isoelectric behavior of flours and/or the attack of starch by acetic acid. (4) Conclusions: These results could be useful for adapting the cooking step of the acid batter in order to produce alternative snacks.

Formation and mitigation of acrylamide in oven baked vegetable fries

Investigation into oven baked sweet potato and carrot fries at various temperatures and times demonstrated the in situ formation of acrylamide in an exponential manner. High levels of acrylamide were found in these food items: up to 327 µg/kg for sweet potato baked at 190 °C for 14 min, and 99 µg/kg for carrot baked at 190 °C for 13 min. Risk assessment via Margin of Exposures estimation showed that consumption of these fries might pose adverse health effects to consumers from toddlers to adults, especially when the fries were prepared at high temperatures above 175 °C and for a long time. Raw ingredient blanching and immersion in acetic acid prior to preparation have been proven to greatly reduce acrylamide formation, up to 99%. It is recommendable to apply these techniques either at industrial or domestic cooking scales to ensure minimal health risk from dietary exposure to acrylamide.

Processing contaminants in wheat-based foods - a systematic review, meta-analysis and bibliometric analysis

Wheat is one of the main cereals grown around the world and is the basis for several foods such as bread, cakes and pasta. The consumption of these foods raises a concern with food safety, as toxic substances such as acrylamide, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are formed during their processing. To assess the occurrence of processing contaminants in wheat-based foods, a systematic search was carried out in four databases: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus. Of the 1479 results, 28 were included for a meta-analysis. Most studies (69.7%) evaluated acrylamide in bread, cookies, and pasta, while PAHs (26.2%) were determined mainly in wheat grains and pasta. HMF was the least determined contaminant (4.1%), with only four studies on cookies included in the meta-analysis. The highest concentration was for acrylamide (136.29 µg·kg-1) followed by HMF (70.59 µg·kg-1) and PAHs (0.11 µg·kg-1). Acrylamide is the main processing contaminant researched, and no studies on the subject have been found in commercial samples in some regions of the world. This result shows a gap in the dates available about process contaminants in wheat-based foods and how the levels can change depending on the process parameters and the ingredients used.

Acrylamide Exposure from Common Culinary Preparations in Spain, in Household, Catering and Industrial Settings

In 2019, the European Commission recommended monitoring the presence of acrylamide in certain foods not included in Regulation 2158/2017, to consider other sources of exposure to the contaminant. In the present study, eleven groups of processed foods commonly consumed in Spain were classified, according to their food matrix, into potato-based food, cereal-based food and food based on cereal mixed with meat, fish or vegetables. Samples were collected from three different settings: household, catering services and industrial origin, to evaluate the influence of the food preparation site on acrylamide formation. The highest concentrations of acrylamide were observed in chips (French fries), especially those prepared at home. Although at lower levels, all the other foods also contained significant concentrations of acrylamide, confirming the need to control its content in foods not included in the EU regulation. Industrially processed foods made a lower contribution to acrylamide exposure, probably due to the more stringent controls exercised on culinary processes in this context. The higher levels recorded for households and catering services highlight the need for greater awareness of culinary processes and for measures to be adopted in these settings to limit the formation of acrylamide in food preparation.