Reducing the acrylamide content of a semi-finished biscuit on industrial scale

Mitigation of Acrylamide Content in Biscuits through Combined Physical and Chemical Strategies

Acrylamide in biscuits represents a major concern. This research work was aimed at modifying the current formulation of biscuits to reduce the acrylamide content while maintaining the chemical, physical, and sensory characteristics of the original product. A strategy based on the FoodDrinkEurope Acrylamide Toolbox was adopted. The content of the leavening agent ammonium bicarbonate, the baking temperature program, and the time duration of steam released during the baking process were the three factors evaluated through a factorial design of experiment. The partial replacement of ammonium bicarbonate (from 9.0 g to 1.5 g per 500 g of flour) with sodium bicarbonate (from 4.5 g to 12.48 g), lowering of the temperature in the central phase of the baking process (from 170 °C to 150 °C), and the release of steam for 3 min resulted in an 87.2% reduction in acrylamide concentration compared to biscuits of reference. CIELab color indices and a_w were the parameters that showed the most significant correlation with acrylamide concentration in biscuits and could, therefore, become markers to predict the acrylamide content along production lines for an instant evaluation.

Classification, Processing Procedures, and Market Demand of Chinese Biscuits and the Breeding of Special Wheat for Biscuit Making

With the improvement of living standards, consumers’ demand for wheat food is gradually diversified. Biscuit, as a kind of convenience food, becomes a consumer’s leisure snack due to its characteristics such as low processing cost, easy-to-carry and convenient-to-eat traits, long shelf life, diverse varieties, and rich tastes, which have attracted more and more people. Biscuits are composed of four main ingredients, which are flour, fat/oil, sugar, and water, whereas several secondary ingredients also are important sources of high molecular carbohydrates, plant proteins, vitamins, and minerals for human beings. In this study, we systematically summarized the related research of biscuits, including the main types of China’s biscuits, the market demands, and statistics of wheat planting, production, and import in recent ten years, as well as the research of soft wheat breeding for biscuit. The flour consumption of biscuit industry has been maintained at more than 4 million tons, accounting for more than 30% of the flour consumption in food industry. The planting area of wheat in China has stabilized around 22.8 million hectares in 2010–2020, while the yield of wheat has increased 18.0% (20.86 million t) due to the increase of yield per unit of wheat. China’s total annual pastry import bill increased 5 times and the gap between import and export bill of pastry has been increased more than 7 times from 2010 to 2020, suggesting the strong demand of the national pastry market. This research also provides a direction for the future breeding of special soft wheat for biscuits in China.

Acrylamide in Bakery Products: A Review on Health Risks, Legal Regulations and Strategies to Reduce Its Formation

Acrylamide is a contaminant as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 315/93 and as such, it is considered a chemical hazard in the food chain. The toxicity of acrylamide has been acknowledged since 2002, among its toxicological effects on humans being neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive toxicity. Acrylamide has been classified as carcinogenic in the 2A group, with human exposure leading to progressive degeneration of the peripheral and central nervous systems characterized by cognitive and motor abnormalities. Bakery products (bread, crispbread, cakes, batter, breakfast cereals, biscuits, pies, etc.) are some of the major sources of dietary acrylamide. The review focuses on the levels of acrylamide in foods products, in particular bakery ones, and the risk that resulting dietary intake of acrylamide has on human health. The evolving legislative situation regarding the acrylamide content from foodstuffs, especially bakery ones, in the European Union is discussed underlining different measures that food producers must take in order to comply with the current regulations regarding the acrylamide levels in their products. Different approaches to reduce the acrylamide level in bakery products such as the use of asparginase, calcium salts, antioxidants, acids and their salts, etc., are described in detail.

Acrylamide in biscuits commercialised in Spain: a view of the Spanish market from 2007 to 2019

The biscuit industry has evolved in the last decades with the inclusion of alternative cereals, pseudo-cereals and other ingredients in traditional recipes, which allows current consumers' needs to be met. The dough composition, thermal treatment applied during baking, low moisture, and high rate of consumption make biscuits important contributors to daily exposure to acrylamide in Western diets. Acrylamide was determined by LC-ESI-MS/MS in 80 commercial biscuits marketed in Spain. The mean acrylamide content was 343 μg kg-1 (from <20 to 2144 μg kg-1). Rye, teff and oat-based biscuits exhibited the highest content (2144, 1559 and 1424 μg kg-1, respectively). 70% of the samples were below the benchmark level established by the EU Regulation 2017/2158. Compared to our previous prospective study in 2007 on the Spanish market, acrylamide has experienced an important decline (45%) in wheat-based formulations, demonstrating the effectiveness of the mitigation strategies applied in the sector. However, when all samples were considered, a slight non-significant decrease (18%) was observed. This fact suggests that the reformulation of traditional recipes with innovative cereals and ingredients could increase the acrylamide content in biscuits despite the mitigation strategies applied. Therefore, forthcoming reviews of the regulation should consider establishing categories in biscuits according to the main cereal, as has already been established in breakfast cereals.

Acrylamide Reduction Strategy in Combination with Deoxynivalenol Mitigation in Industrial Biscuits Production

Acrylamide is formed during baking in some frequently consumed food products. It is proven to be carcinogenic in rodents and a probable human carcinogen. Thus, the food industry is working to find solutions to minimize its formation during processing. To better understand the sources of its formation, the present study is aimed at investigating how acrylamide concentration may be influenced by bakery-making parameters within a parallel strategy of mycotoxin mitigation (focusing specifically on deoxynivalenol-DON) related to wholegrain and cocoa biscuit production. Among Fusarium toxins, DON is considered the most important contaminant in wheat and related bakery products, such as biscuits, due to its widespread occurrence. Exploiting the power of a Design of Experiments (DoE), several conditions were varied as mycotoxin contamination levels of the raw materials, recipe formulation, pH value of dough, and baking time/temperature; each selected treatment was varied within a defined range according to the technological requirements to obtain an appreciable product for consumers. Experiments were performed in a pilot-plant scale in order to simulate an industrial production and samples were extracted and analysed by HPLC-MS/MS system. Applying a baking temperature of 200 °C at the highest sugar dose, acrylamide increased its concentration, and in particular, levels ranged from 306 ± 16 µg/Kg d.m. and 400 ± 27 µg/Kg d.m. in biscuits made without and with the addition of cocoa, respectively. Conversely, using a baking temperature of 180 °C in the same conditions (pH, baking time, and sugar concentrations), acrylamide values remained below 125 ± 14 µg/Kg d.m. and 156 ± 15 µg/Kg d.m. in the two final products. The developed predictive model suggested how some parameters can concretely contribute to limit acrylamide formation in the final product, highlighting a significant role of pH value (correlated also to sodium bicarbonate raising agent), followed by baking time/temperature parameters. In particular, the increasing range of baking conditions influenced in a limited way the final acrylamide content within the parallel effective range of DON reduction. The study represents a concrete example of how the control and optimization of selected operative parameters may lead to multiple mitigation of specific natural/process contaminants in the final food products, though still remaining in the sensorial satisfactory range.

Mitigation strategies of acrylamide, furans, heterocyclic amines and browning during the Maillard reaction in foods

The Maillard reaction (MR) occurs widely during food manufacture and storage, through controlled or uncontrolled pathways. Its consequences are ambiguous depending on the nature and processing of the food products. The MR is often used by food manufacturer to develop appealing aromas, colour or texture in food products (cereal based food, coffee, meat…). However, despite some positive aspects, the MR could decrease the nutritional value of food, generate potentially harmful compounds (e.g. acrylamide, furans, heterocyclic amines) or modify aroma or colour although it is not desired (milk, fruit juice). This paper presents a review of the different solutions available to control or moderate the MR in various food products from preventive to removal methods. A brief reminder of the role and influence of the MR on food quality and safety is also provided.

Mitigating effect of amaranth (Amarantus hypochondriacus) protein on acrylamide formation in foods

The effect of addition of amaranth flour and amaranth protein isolate to both a glucose/asparagine model system and real foods (cookies, fried tortilla chips, and baked tortilla chips) was studied to analyse the acrylamide mitigating potential of this underexploited plant with attractive nutraceutical properties. Addition of amaranth flour, with a relatively low protein content (16.45%), did not mitigate acrylamide in either the model system or the studied foods. On the contrary, addition of amaranth protein isolate decreased acrylamide content by 35-40% in the model system, 89% in cookies, 51% in fried tortilla chips, and 62% in baked tortilla chips. This acrylamide reduction was obtained without change in the colour or the texture of the cookies. On the contrary, colour remained unchanged in tortilla chips, but the addition of amaranth protein isolate increased the hardness (16-36%) of the produced tortillas. Although a much more detailed sensory evaluation of cookies and tortilla chips prepared using amaranth protein isolate is needed, the above results suggest that the use of amaranth protein may be an interesting way to both mitigate acrylamide formation and improve nutritional properties of foods.

Effects of various cooking conditions on acrylamide formation in rolled patty

In this study on acrylamide formation, the effects of the type of frying oil, frying period and covering with egg during frying of a rolled patty (a traditional Turkish carbohydrate-rich food) were investigated. The differences between frying periods were statistically significant for each oil (p < 0.01). For comparable frying periods, the maximum acrylamide content was found in the rolled patties fried with sunflower oil, and the minimum acrylamide content was found in the rolled patties fried with corn oil. A decrease of 39-65% in acrylamide formation in the rolled patties covered with egg was found for each of the three types of oil. In addition, a high linear correlation (R > 0.90) was found between L (light) values and acrylamide amounts.

Effectiveness of methods for reducing acrylamide in bakery products

Pilot-scale bread, biscuit, and cracker doughs have been baked to assess how well recipe changes could reduce acrylamide in commercial bakery products. Removing ammonium-based raising agents was beneficial in biscuits. In doughs, long yeast fermentations were an effective way of reducing asparagine levels and hence acrylamide. At moderate fermentation times fructose levels increased, but the yeast later absorbed this, so the net effect on acrylamide was beneficial. Metal ions such as calcium reduced acrylamide when added as the carbonate or chloride. Hence, the fortification of flour with calcium carbonate, over and above its natural mineral content, has an additional benefit. However, some other possible methods of adding calcium to bakery doughs, for example, via the permitted preservative calcium propionate, were not beneficial. Amino acid addition to doughs gave modest reductions in acrylamide. Lowering the dough pH reduced acrylamide, but at the expense of higher levels of other process contaminants such as 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD).

Acrylamide in cereal and cereal products: a review on progress in level reduction

In March 2006, a joint workshop was organized by the European Commission and the Confederation of EU Food and Drink Industries (CIAA) to discuss current knowledge and achievements in the reduction of acrylamide levels. This paper focuses on the progress made with cereal products. At present, the reduction options available are applicable to a limited number of cereal products and are product-specific. The following are the most promising: * Adjustment of time and temperature during baking. * Extend fermentation times where feasible. * Substitution of ammonium bicarbonate with alternatives where feasible. * Avoid or minimise use of reducing sugars where possible. * Maintenance of uniform control of the colour and avoidance of very high baking temperature where possible. The most promising near-term technical solution is the use of asparaginase. This enzyme has the potential to achieve a 60-90% reduction for some products made from dough or batter, which can be held for a time. In the longer term, the optimisation of agronomy and plant breeding for wheat has the potential to reduce acrylamide in all foods on any scale, whether domestic or industrial. Importantly, nutritional and toxicological issues, other than acrylamide, must also be considered so as to ensure that the steps taken to reduce acrylamide levels do not have other adverse effects on diet.

Occurrence of acrylamide in selected foods and mitigation options

Acrylamide reduction in certain food products is an important issue for both the food industry and academic research institutions. The present paper summarises past and current research on the occurrence and reduction of acrylamide in potatoes, bakery products, almonds, olives and dried fruit. In potatoes, the control of reducing sugars, process temperature and moisture is imperative to limit acrylamide formation. In bakery products, free asparagine and the type of baking agent largely determine acrylamide formation and present the starting points for reduction. The application of asparaginase is promising in this respect because it acts only on the key precursor, asparagine, whereby the product character remains unchanged. The baking agent NH4HCO3 promotes acrylamide formation in sweet bakery but its replacement by NaHCO3 effectively decreases acrylamide concentrations. Temperature and free asparagine are the key factors for acrylamide formation in roasted almonds. Olives and dried fruit may contain acrylamide and large amounts of acrylamide can be formed upon heating these products, a phenomenon which needs further investigation.

Options for legal measures to reduce acrylamide contents in the most relevant foods

Options of taking measures for reducing acrylamide exposure are discussed from the viewpoint of health authorities. To achieve a significant effect on total exposure (without changing eating habits), a substantial reduction must be accomplished for the foods contributing most to total intake. Priority should be given to consumers with high exposure, which means that the average intake profile is not relevant, but high consumption of products with high acrylamide contents is relevant. Rather than introducing legal limits on acrylamide in the end-products, more basic factors determining acrylamide formation should be brought under control. Five measures are proposed. (1) For the preparation of fried and roasted products, potatoes low in reducing sugars should be made available to households and commercial outlets. (2) The content of reducing sugars in prefabricates for French fries should be limited. (3) Newly installed fryers should control the temperature profile from an initially high to a lower final value. (4) The use of ammonium carbonate in bakery products should be restricted. (5) There should be provisions to intervene if an acrylamide content clearly exceeds the level determined by good manufacturing practice and the products involved substantially contribute to total exposure in cases of high consumption.

Acrylamide content of selected Spanish foods: Survey of biscuits and bread derivatives

An overview of the acrylamide content in commercial biscuits and bread derivatives (bread sticks, bread crust, crackers) marketed in Spain is presented. Acrylamide was determined by stable isotope dilution LC-MS with an LOQ of 30 microg kg(-1). Acrylamide content ranged from <LOQ-2085, <LOQ-151, <LOQ-296 and <LOQ-323 microg kg(-1) for biscuits, crisp bread, crackers and bread sticks, respectively. Acrylamide was significantly higher in samples when ammonium hydrogen carbonate had been used as a rising agent and high fibre content (>5%) used in the formulation, but lower when functional ingredients, such as polyols, were used. An estimation of the acrylamide dietary exposure related to biscuits and bread derivatives was calculated as 0.082 microg kg(-1) day(-1). Estimated dietary intake were 0.002 and 0.058 microg kg(-1) day(-1) for crackers and biscuits, respectively.