ACRYLAMIDE IN FRENCH FRIES PREPARED IN AT HOME AND FAST FOOD CONDITIONS

French fries, prepared either at home or in fast food restaurants, are one of the most desired dishes of Romanians and the main contributors to the intake of acrylamide through the diet. The aim of this study was to investigate how the frying in at home and fast food conditions influences the acrylamide level of French fries and to establish a correlation between acrylamide content and the color parameters. Potatoes from the Queen Anne variety and two types of oil (sunflower, palm) were used. Frying in at home conditions was realized in a pan in sunflower and palm oils (103°C for 13-15 minutes) and frying in fast food conditions was performed in a fryer using only palm oil (170°C for 11 minutes). Determination of acrylamide was achieved fallowing the GC-MS/MS method. The level of acrylamide in French fries fried in at home conditions showed higher acrylamide content when the sunflower oil was used (764.58 µg/kg) compared to the samples fried in palm oil (541.65 µg/kg). Also, a variation between the two types of frying was observed when using palm oil and a lower acrylamide level was obtained for French fries fried in at home conditions (541.65 µg/kg) than for potatoes fried in fast food conditions (684.37 µg/kg). For all the samples analyzed the acrylamide content exceeded the benchmark level of 500 µg/kg set by the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158. Linear correlations between acrylamide levels, expressed in % d.m., and the color parameters (L*, a* and b*) were found: as the level of acrylamide increased, the parameters L* and b* (R2 = 0.80) decreased, and a* increased (R2 = 0.68).

Application of Milk Proteins Co-Precipitates Prepared Using Different Types of Minerals as Coating Materials to Reduce Oil Uptake of Fried Potato Strips

The edible coatings are a suitable method to decrease oil uptake in fried foods. In this study, the effects of milk protein co-precipitates aggregated using different types of minerals (CaCl2: 17 mM, FeCl3: 18 mM, ZnCl2: 18 mM, and MgCl2: 20 mM) and affected on the properties of fried potato strips were evaluated. Edible coating solutions were performed at two concentrations (%2.5 w/v) and (%5 w/v. According to the results, coated potato slices with edible coating solutions based on milk proteins co-precipitated by MgCl2 (%5) recorded higher hardness value among all the salts before frying process. Generally after frying process, coated French fries with edible coating solutions were the hardest comparable with uncoated (control) French fries, at the %2.5 w/v concentration the higher hardness value was recorded by coated French fries with CaCl2 milk protein co-precipitates and at the %5 w/v concentration the higher hardness value was recorded by coated French fries with milk protein co-precipitates ZnCl2. The experimental results showed that the coating solutions based on milk proteins co-precipitated had a positive and great effect on reducing oil uptake. In conclusion, The edible coating solutions based on milk proteins co-precipitated prepared by ZnCl2, MgCl2 at concentration %5 (w/v) reduced oil adsorption more than other coating solutions and in the same time increased the moisture content of final products sequentially compared with uncoated (control) samples. According to the sensory test, coated French fries with milk proteins co-precipitated by MgCl2 had the higher sensory evaluation degrees in appearance, color, taste and overall acceptability, while coated French fries with milk proteins co-precipitated by ZnCl2 got the highest sensory evaluation degrees for texture.

Instrumentation for Routine Analysis of Acrylamide in French Fries: Assessing Limitations for Adoption

The purpose of this experimental review was to detect acrylamide in French fries using methods most adaptable to the food process industry for quality control assessment of products. French fries were prepared at different cook times using the same fryer oil over a five-day period to assess the influence of oil degradation and monitor trends in acrylamide formation. Acrylamide detection was performed using LC-MS, GC-MS and FT-NIR. The low levels of acrylamide produced during frying, low molecular weight of the analyte, and complexity of the potato matrix make routine acrylamide measurement challenging in a well-outfitted analytical lab with trained personnel. The findings of this study are presented from the perspective of pros and cons of each acrylamide measurement method in enough detail for food processors to appraise the method that may work best for them based on their available instrumentation and extent of personnel training.