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.

L-asparaginase: therapeutic use and applications in the food industry – a review

L-asparaginase (L-asnase) is an amino hydrolase that has been used in the last decades for leukemia treatment, which boosted scientific studies on production, purification and immobilization of this enzyme. More recently, L-asnase has called food industry attention because of its effect on acrylamide formation in fried and baked foods. Several studies have been carried out in order to evaluate the effect of L-asnase in reducing acrylamide formation in different food models. This review brings up an overview in L-asnase kinetic parameters from different sources, immobilization methods, its therapeutic use in leukemia treatment and food processing applications. This review also discusses acrylamide formation in fried and baked foods. Commercial L-asnase is produced by two microorganisms, Escherichia coli and Erwinia sp. However, studies using different microorganisms have shown the possibility of producing this enzyme from different sources, obtaining enzymes with interesting kinetic properties. Immobilization strategies have provided enzymes with greater activity and stability, which could contribute to maintain L-asnase activity in the body for longer periods. Researches applying L-asnase in food products have shown significant reduction in acrylamide production, above 90% in some cases. For this purpose, during enzyme application some variables must be taken into account, as enzyme dose, food matrix, pretreatment, processing time and temperature. Medical and food applications make L-asnase a multipurpose enzyme. Reducing prices, improving enzyme stability and reducing co-lateral effects in leukemia treatment are still challenges to overcome.

Effect of daily light integral treatments on free amino acids and sugars contributing flavor and acrylamide formation in potato tubers of Solanum tuberosum L.

To study the effect of photoperiodic conditions on the chemical composition of potato tubers, seven cultivars, grown under controlled conditions, were evaluated for the content of free amino acids (FAA) and sugars. The differences in these compounds may have an effect on the susceptibility of acrylamide formation during potato processing as well as on the flavor profile of potato products. Tubers were produced in growth chambers under two artificially induced photoperiods; 8 h light and 15 h light per day, resulting in conditions with two different daily light integral (DLI) levels. The photoperiodic treatments influenced the total FAA and free sugar contents and composition. Of the analyzed 19 FAAs, the concentrations of 14 FAAs were significantly lower in tubers exposed to the 15 h light period compared to 8 h light, whereas the glucose content was significantly higher. The total FAA concentrations were 15–46% lower and the glucose concentrations 6–64% higher in the seven cultivars exposed to the 15 h light conditions than in those grown in 8 h light.

Vitamin A and E Homologues Impacting the Fate of Acrylamide in Equimolar Asparagine-Glucose Model System

This study aims to evaluate the influence of Vitamin A and E homologues toward acrylamide in equimolar asparagine-glucose model system. Vitamin A homologue as β-carotene (BC) and five Vitamin E homologues, i.e., α-tocopherol (AT), δ-tocopherol (DT), α-tocotrienol (ATT), γ-tocotrienol (GTT), and δ-tocotrienol (DTT), were tested at different concentrations (1 and 10 µmol) and subjected to heating at 160 °C for 20 min before acrylamide quantification. At lower concentrations (1 µmol; 431, 403, 411 ppm, respectively), AT, DT, and GTT significantly increase acrylamide. Except for DT, enhancing concentration to 10 µmol (5370, 4310, 4250, 3970, and 4110 ppm, respectively) caused significant acrylamide formation. From linear regression model, acrylamide concentration demonstrated significant depreciation over concentration increase in AT (Beta = −83.0, R2 = 0.652, p ≤ 0.05) and DT (Beta = −71.6, R2 = 0.930, p ≤ 0.05). This study indicates that different Vitamin A and E homologue concentrations could determine their functionality either as antioxidants or pro-oxidants.