Fluorescence Determination of Acrylamide in Snack, Seasoning, and Refreshment Food Samples with an iOS Gadget–Based Digital Imaging Colorimeter

Acrylamide in starchy foods subjected to deep-frying, 20 years after its discovery (2002-2022): a patent review

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the discovery of acrylamide in food, an analysis of patents related to the mitigation of this compound in food products obtained through immersion frying was carried out. For this purpose, a comprehensive search, compilation, and information analysis were conducted using free online databases such as Google Patents, Patenscope, and Lens. The search yielded a total of 79 patents within the considered time period (2002-2022). The countries with the highest number of granted patents were the United States, the European Union, and South Korea. The patents were classified into four main approaches: raw material modification (49%), application of pre-treatments (27%), process modification (16%), and measurement techniques (8%). Among the results, Frito-Lay, an American company, stands out as the food industry company with the highest number of granted patents, totaling 15. Based on this review, it is concluded that while a significant number of patents have been granted in recent years, there is still a lag in developing countries. Furthermore, more studies are needed to determine acrylamide in starchy food matrices subjected to immersion frying different from potatoes.

Dietary Exposure to Acrylamide in Spanish University Canteens by the Duplicate Diet Method

During the university period, many students adopt new dietary patterns, sometimes including the excessive consumption of highly processed foods, which can expose them to process contaminants such as acrylamide. This research aimed to evaluate the dietary exposure to acrylamide of Spanish university students in their campus canteens using the duplicate diet method, and to estimate the associated health risks based on their food consumption habits. Apart from potato-based foods, the analysed food/meals contained non-detectable or low levels of acrylamide (<63 µg/kg). Two exposure scenarios were considered, depending on whether students selected salad (lowest exposure) or processed potatoes (highest exposure) as side dishes. The frequent consumption of processed potatoes could increase acrylamide intake from 6.5 to 26.4 µg/day. Due to their lower body weight, women had a higher risk of acrylamide exposure in both scenarios. The margin of exposure (MOE) values for neoplastic effects indicated high levels of health concern, even only considering the main meal of the day. Furthermore, the risk of acrylamide exposure could increase by more than four times depending on the side dish selected by the students. This research highlights the need to promote healthy dietary habits among young people, encouraging the selection of safer food options in terms of food processing contaminants.

Assessment of dietary acrylamide exposure in children attending Spanish school canteens using the duplicate diet method

Acrylamide is a carcinogenic chemical contaminant formed in heat-treated foods. In this study, a duplicate diet method was used to evaluate the acrylamide content of foods/meals served at breakfast and lunch in two Spanish school canteens. The dietary acrylamide intake in students was estimated within lower bound (LB) and upper bound (UB) scenarios. Biscuits exhibited the highest acrylamide values, exceeding the benchmark level established by the European Regulation 2017/2158 (350 μg/kg), followed by main courses such as stews, side dishes and bread. In the LB scenario, breakfasts accounted for the major contributors to the daily acrylamide intake (73.3%). However, lunches were the main responsible in the UB scenario (65.4%). Acrylamide exposure was estimated for three age ranges: 3-5y pre-school children (0.59 and 0.92 μg/kg body weight/day), 6-9y children (0.43 and 0.67 μg/kg body weight/day) and 10-12y early adolescents (0.28 and 0.44 μg/kg body weight/day). Margins of exposure for neoplastic effects ranged between 144 and 1026, which is below the reference of 10,000, indicating a health concern. The findings reveal that any diet, even one that is balanced, varied and contains foods low in acrylamide, involves an additive exposure to the contaminant that should be considered when conducting acrylamide exposure risk assessments.

A Fast and Easy Probe Based on CMC/Eu (Ⅲ) Nanocomposites to Detect Acrylamide in Different Food Simulants Migrating from Food-Contacting Paper Materials

The residual acrylamide in food paper packaging can be transferred into water and food, which will cause harmful effects on human beings. In this paper, a rapid and easily available fluorescent probe based on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/Eu (Ⅲ) nanocomposites was designed to detect the residue acrylamide with high sensibility. The probe could respond in 1 min. The concentration of acrylamide was linearly correlated to the fluorescence intensity of the probe at the emission wavelength of 615 nm in the concentration range of 0.1–100 μmol/L. The limit of detection (LOD) of the probe was 0.085 μg/L, which is lower than the guideline value of the European Union, the U.S. EPA, and the WHO. An experiment was performed to simulate the acrylamide migrating from food-contacting paper materials to different foods, including waterborne food, alcohol beverage, acidic food, and greasy food. The recoveries and RSDs of acrylamide in all samples indicated that the CMC/Eu (Ⅲ) fluorescent probe was efficient for acrylamide detection. The possible mechanism of the probe for acrylamide detection involved both dynamically quenching and static quenching by forming of non-fluorescent substances.

Nanomaterials Enabled and Bio/Chemical Analytical Sensors for Acrylamide Detection in Thermally Processed Foods: Advances and Outlook

Acrylamide, a food processing contaminant with demonstrated genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive toxicity, is largely present in numerous prominent and commonly consumed food products that are produced by thermal processing methods. Food regulatory bodies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) and European Union Commission regulations have disseminated various acrylamide mitigation strategies in food processing practices. Hence, in the wake of such food and public health safety efforts, there is a rising demand for economic, rapid, and portable detection and quantification methods for these contaminants. Since conventional quantification techniques like liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods are expensive and have many drawbacks, sensing platforms with various transduction systems have become an efficient alternative tool for quantifying various target molecules in a wide variety of food samples. Therefore, this present review discusses in detail the state of robust, nanomaterials-based and other bio/chemical sensor fabrication techniques, the sensing mechanism, and the selective qualitative and quantitative measurement of acrylamide in various food materials. The discussed sensors use analytical measurements ranging from diverse and disparate optical, electrochemical, as well as piezoelectric methods. Further, discussions about challenges and also the potential development of the lab-on-chip applications for acrylamide detection and quantification are entailed at the end of this review.