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

Whey proteins interact with lipids during autoxidation primarly via the production of reactive carbonyl species

Nowadays, it is well recognized that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can provide extensive nutritional and health benefits. Thus, ω-3 PUFAs have been considered to contribute to the prevention of several diseases. Recognition of the potential benefits of ω-3 fatty acids has stimulated increased interest towards the fortification of foods with oils rich in these particular fatty acids. However, enrichment of food products with such unsaturated fatty acids should be carefully evaluated since they are highly susceptible to oxidation. Moreover, exposure of proteins to peroxidizing lipids or their secondary breakdown products may induce severe changes in proteins, including polymerization, insolubilization and formation of lipid – protein complexes. Several amino acids, but mainly mainly cysteine, methionine, histidine, tyrosine and lysine are affected by the secondary lipid oxidation products, therefore leading to reductions of their availability. The objective of this study was to characterize changes induced in whey protein isolate (a mixture of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin) through oxidation with oils with different unsaturation degrees and different initial oxidation status. The incubation of whey proteins with oils caused an increase in protein bound carbonyl content through the interaction of lipid oxidation products with the amino acids. Changes in the amino acid composition were therefore also observed mostly upon incubation with fish and highly oxidized soybean oil. Interaction of proteins with lipid oxidation products was taking place via interaction of the reactive carbonyl species formed thus leading to protein aggregates formation. Protein aggregation was therefore one of the most prominent consequence of the interaction of whey proteins with oxidizing lipids

Impact of chemical pre-treatments on the acrylamide formation and sensorial quality of potato crisps

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Impact of additives to lower the formation of acrylamide in a potato model system through pH reduction and other mechanisms

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Comparison of potato varieties between seasons and their potential for acrylamide formation

BACKGROUND: Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen produced during food preparation, including frying of potato products. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of seasonal variation on tuber composition and its acrylamide generation potential. RESULTS: The chemical composition of potato varieties used respectively for French fry (Bintje and Ramos) and crisp (Lady Rosetta and Saturna) production was studied throughout a storage period of 9 months during two growing seasons (2003 and 2004), in addition to their acrylamide generation potential during preparation of French fries. A significant impact of variable climatological conditions on the reducing sugar, dry matter, total free amino acid and free asparagine contents of tubers was observed. Exceptionally warm summers gave rise to a lower reducing sugar content (expressed on a dry matter basis) and thus a lower susceptibility to acrylamide generation during frying. CONCLUSION: It cannot be excluded that potato growers and the potato-processing industry are confronted with some harvests that are more prone to acrylamide generation than others owing to climatological variability, thus confirming the importance of a multifactorial approach to mitigate acrylamide generation in potato products.</p