Kinetic modelling: A tool to predict the formation of acrylamide in potato crisps

Three empirical models were used to fit the formation of acrylamide in crisps of three different cold-sweetened potato genotypes, fried under the same experimental conditions. Statistical methods were used to compare the performance of the models, with the “Logistic-Exponential” model performing the best. The obtained model parameters for the formation of acrylamide showed improvement in precision compared to an earlier study, the precision of the parameter estimates for the degradation of acrylamide was still problematic. Nevertheless, the predictive capacity of the “Logistic-Exponential” model was tested, as this model showed a strong correlation between parameter a and the reducing sugar content of the raw potato. The predictions from this model for the formation of acrylamide in potato crisps were close to earlier reported experimental values. Therefore, the use of the “Logistic-Exponential” model as a tool to predict acrylamide in potato crisps seems promising and should be developed further.     

An experimental set-up for studying acrylamide formation in potato crisps

The objective of this work was to set up lab-scale equipment for production of crisps mimicking industrial conditions. Slices of Saturna potatoes were deep-fat fried for 2-4.5 min at 160 °C. A solid phase extraction method for acrylamide from potato crisps was used, and the extraction recovery was calculated to 95%. Acrylamide was analysed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The relative standard deviation was below 3% for analyses performed on the same day and below 5% for inter-day analyses. The limit of quantification was estimated to be 160 μg/kg potato crisps. The colour of potato slices was determined using a digital imaging method and related to the acrylamide content. There were tendencies that L*(lightness) decreased and that that a*(redness) and b*(yellowness) increased with increasing acrylamide content. In another experiment, potatoes with different glucose levels were fried for 4 min but no significant difference in acrylamide content (2200-2800 μg/kg) was observed. The experiment was repeated after three months of storage. The levels of acrylamide increased significantly to 8200-13200 μg/kg. The potatoes had been fertilized with different levels of nitrogen, but no relation was found between the nitrogen supplied and the acrylamide content. The experimental set-up was shown to give realistic and reproducible experimental data, regarding colour, water content and acrylamide levels. It will be used together with the analytical methods as a platform for further research on the formation of acrylamide.     

A methodology for evaluating the formation and human exposure to acrylamide through fried potato crisps

Potato crisps are a popular snack food which have been implicated as a potential source of acrylamide. This study develops a farm-to-fork human exposure assessment model for acrylamide in fried potato crisps for Irish consumers. The model used Monte Carlo simulation techniques to model the various stages from on farm production of potatoes, storage, processing, crisp production and final human consumption of potato crisps. A baseline model is created and a number of scenarios are subsequently created to look at the impact of different model assumptions and input parameters. The baseline model found that the mean level of acrylamide in potato crisps in Ireland was 720 μg/kg. Irish consumer exposure to acrylamide in potato crisps was estimated to be 0.052 and 0.064 μg/kg bw/day for males and females, respectively. A sensitivity analysis revealed the important parameters influencing the model predictions. The initial level of reducing sugars was found to be the most important parameter (correlation coefficient 0.58 and 0.57 for glucose and fructose, respectively), highlighting the importance of selecting cultivars with low reducing sugar levels for crisp production. The cooking regime had a significant impact on model predictions, highlighting the need for further research into the impact of different time and temperature combinations. Blanching and soaking of potatoes were also identified as important risk reduction processes.     

油炸马铃薯片中丙烯酰胺形成的影响因素的研究

丙烯酰胺是富含碳水化合物和氨基酸的食品经高温加热发生美拉德反应而产生的,但有关影响丙烯酰胺形成因素的研究却较少。探讨了油炸温度、原料中还原糖和氨基酸含量、鲜薯切片浸泡液的柠檬酸浓度、油炸前薯片的水分含量及抗氧化剂和油的使用时间对丙烯酰胺形成的影响。结果表明:原料中还原糖和氨基酸含量越高,产品中生成的丙烯酰胺就越多;油炸温度越高,产品中丙烯酰胺含量也相应越高;浸泡液柠檬酸浓度越大,产品中丙烯酰胺含量越低;而随着半成品中含水量的降低,产品中的丙烯酰胺含量也逐渐减少;在油中添加不同浓度的BHT和TBHQ以及采用使用时间不同的油,对加工出来的薯片之间丙烯酰胺含量没有显著的影响。     

葡萄糖氧化酶对油炸薯条中丙烯酰胺抑制作用研究

在单因素试验的基础上,采用响应面分析法研究了葡萄糖氧化酶的添加量、浸泡温度、浸泡时间对油炸薯条中丙烯酰胺形成的影响作用。结果表明:浸泡时间42min,浸泡温度70℃,葡萄糖氧化酶添加量1 700U/kg,丙烯酰胺最低生成量为240.62μg/kg。     

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

Several components were added to the blanching water of potato crisps. Calcium ions, sodium acid pyrophosphate, citric, acetic and l-lactic acid significantly reduced the final acrylamide content, as well as free glycine and l-lysine. The acids, NaCl and calcium-containing additives also lowered the oil absorption, which may have led to a reduced heat transfer and acrylamide contamination in the final product. Textural and compositional product changes may thus also influence acrylamide formation. By means of sensory analyses of these crisps, a successful combination was demonstrated between acrylamide mitigating treatments and crisps of acceptable or even superior product quality, compared to control crisps blanched in water. However, the applied components and concentration levels should be well chosen in order not to generate product-foreign flavours or undesired product colour.     

Reduction of acrylamide formation by selected agents in fried potato crisps on industrial scale

Great interest and rapid research efforts on acrylamide in foods followed an announcement in April 2002 by the Swedish National Food Authority and the University of Stockholm. Reduction of acrylamide in high-temperature processing foods, including selection of the raw material and variation of processing parameters, etc. were extensive reported. In this research, effect of some agents on acrylamide formation was investigated. A glucose-asparagines reaction model system was used to test the effect of ferulic acid, catechin, CaCl₂, NaHSO₃, and l-cysteine on inhibition of acrylamide formation and three efficient inhibitors, NaHSO₃, CaCl₂ and l-cysteine were screened. The results showed that immersing of the fresh potato chips using different concentration of the agents greatly inhibited acrylamide formation in fried potato crisps, and the efficiency increased as their concentrations increased; among them, l-cysteine is the most efficient agent but CaCl₂ is most potential. Effects of these food additives on the texture of fried potato crisps were also studied. It was found that l-cysteine showed little effect on the texture of the crisps and CaCl₂ is regarded as the suitable choice because of its low price and the acceptable mouth feel of fried crisps treated by CaCl₂, although it increased the brittleness. Moreover, the application of CaCl₂ in industrial production of fried potato crisps was also studied. In the blanching process (deactivation process of enzymes at 85 °C), a computerized electrical conductivity detector was used to keep the concentration of CaCl₂ at constant and the result showed that immersion of potato slices in CaCl₂ solution at 5 g/L reduced acrylamide formation by more than 85% in fried crisps.Industrial relevanceThis research presents a technology to inhibit acrylamide formation in fried potato chips by immersion of fresh potato chips with some food additives. The approach suggested that cysteine and calcium chloride significantly decreased the content of acrylamide in fried potato chips and their concentrations could be kept constant by using a conductor as a detector.     

Dietary exposure to acrylamide from potato crisps to the Spanish population

Potato crisps are one of the food commodities that contribute most to overall dietary human exposure of acrylamide. This investigation has estimated the dietary exposure to acrylamide form potato crisps in the Spanish population. Sampling of potato crisps (n = 36) from 16 different producers were carried out in March 2008. An average level of 740 µg kg^?1 (ranging from 81 to 2622 µg kg^?1; minimum to maximum) and a median of 592 µg kg^?1 were obtained. Acrylamide levels in marketed potato crisps have been significantly reduced (nearly to 50%) compared with a previous sampling performed 4 years earlier. The observed signal value (90th percentile) was 1377 µg kg^?1 with 86% of the samples with acrylamide levels lower than 1000 µg kg^?1. Dietary exposure to acrylamide from potato crisp consumption in the total Spanish population was estimated to be 0.042 µg kg^?1 body weight day^?1 by using a deterministic approach based on the National consumption database. In a second study, dietary exposure (based on a 3-day food record) was determined to be 0.053 µg kg^?1 body weight day^?1 for the adult population (17–60 years) and 0.142 µg kg^?1 body weight day^?1 for children (7–12 years). The contribution of potato crisps to the estimated dietary acrylamide exposure of the Spanish population is moderate as compared with other European Member States.     

Influence of variety and processing conditions on acrylamide levels in fried potato crisps

An investigation was carried out to determine the factors of greatest significance for the level of acrylamide formation in fried potato crisps. Factors under investigation were potato variety, the inclusion of a water soak prior to frying, cooking oil type, cooking temperature and cooking time. Data showed that cooking time and temperature had the greatest influence on acrylamide formation. Cooking oil type and soaking were found to be insignificant. Potato variety had a significant effect, with acrylamide levels found to be controlled by the levels of reducing sugars rather than asparagine. In addition, there were indications that the condition of the cooking oil (as indicated by peroxide value) did not affect acrylamide levels.     

Important factors to consider for acrylamide mitigation in potato crisps using pulsed electric fields

This preliminary study aimed to compare the application of pulsed electric field (PEF) with a traditional blanching as pre-treatments before frying for the mitigation of acrylamide content in potato crisps.Measuring the degree of cell disintegration index (p_o) and the changes in water electrical conductivity during washing of potato slices, PEF protocol and sample preparation scheme were optimized. Peeled potato slices (thickness 1.5 ± 0.2 mm) were subjected to PEF (1.5 kV/cm, pulse duration 10 μs, total treatment time 10 ms, pulse frequency 100 Hz) and to blanching (85 °C for 3.5 min) pre-treatments and then to washing in water, evaluating the reduction of acrylamide precursors (reducing sugars and free asparagine). After frying (175 °C, 3 min), product quality, in terms of colour, texture and acrylamide content were evaluated. Results showed that PEF promoted acrylamide precursors leaching followed by a reduction of the final acrylamide content of around 30%, significantly higher if compared to the reduction obtained with blanching, with only slight modifications of the final quality of the product, in terms of colour and texture.Industrial relevanceThe Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 of 20 November 2017 has introduced new benchmark levels and mitigation strategies for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in foods, directing food businesses to the research of measures to lower the acrylamide formation in foods. The actual industrial production process of fried potato crisps involves the use of many mitigation strategies, such as a blanching of raw potatoes. However, the traditional blanching treatment presents several practical drawbacks and leads to undesirable changes of the product quality. The application of PEF as a pre-treatment could reduce the acrylamide content in deep-fat fried potato crisps. This preliminary study gives important indications regarding the possibility of combining a PEF pre-treatment on raw potato slices with subsequent industrial processing steps for the production of potato crisps with low acrylamide concentration.     

Variety and storage conditions affect the precursor content and amount of acrylamide in potato crisps

BACKGROUND: Acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen, is formed from the amino acid asparagine and reducing sugars when potato products are processed at high temperatures. This is a two‐year study on five Swedish‐grown potato clones, two of which are adapted to cold storage. The clones represented a wide range of precursor concentrations: asparagine, 3.7–15.3 mg g^?1; reducing sugars, 0.9–14.9 mg g^?1. Crisps were prepared in laboratory‐scale equipment mimicking industrial processing conditions. RESULTS: Potatoes stored at 4 °C had significantly higher levels of glucose and fructose than potatoes stored at 8 °C. Acrylamide levels were significantly higher in crisps made from potatoes stored at 4 °C. Two clones with a large difference in asparagine concentration but similar glucose and fructose concentrations gave crisps with significantly different acrylamide contents. The lowest levels of acrylamide were found in crisps made from the potato variety with the lowest asparagine concentration. CONCLUSION: The findings show that variety and storage conditions influence the levels of precursors. Acrylamide formation in crisps can be reduced by using potato varieties with low levels of both asparagine and reducing sugars. Mass transport of precursors during heating is suggested to be important for acrylamide formation in potato crisps. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Study of acrylamide mitigation in model systems and potato crisps: effect of rosmarinic acid

In the current study, rosmarinic acid (RosA) played a critical role in inhibiting acrylamide (AA) formation in Maillard system and potato chips. Compared to the control group, AA formation was markedly inhibited by RosA of 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻¹ mm in asparagine (Asn)-glucose (Glc) system, and 10⁻⁵−1.0 mm in Asn-fructose (Fru) system. The kinetic study indicated that with heating time ranging from 30 to 60 min, RosA had a significant inhibition effect on AA formation. Mechanism study showed the addition reaction between RosA and AA was the primary pathway to inhibit AA formation. In potato crisps, response surface methodology showed that frying temperature of 140.11 °C, frying time of 6.02 min and RosA concentration of 0.012 μm had the lowest AA formation. In conclusion, RosA inhibited AA formation in both the model systems and potato crisps, and its application in food industry is well expected.     

Screening of acrylamide contents in potato crisps using process variable settings and near-infrared spectroscopy

In order to study the formation of acrylamide in potato crisps during processing, an experimental design was set up. The design variables were drying time (6 levels), frying temperature (2 levels) and frying time (8 levels). The design contained 36 samples, which were analysed for acrylamide contents using LC high-resolution mass spectroscopy (LC-HRMS), and fat contents using the Soxhlet apparatus. Prior to analysis, all potato crisp samples were ground and analysed on an NIRSystems 6500 near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer. The acrylamide contents were modelled by: (i) design variables using multiple linear regression, (ii) NIR spectra using partial least squares regression (PLSR) and (iii) design variables and NIR spectra in combination using a novel technique combining least squares regression on the former, and PLSR on the latter. The results showed that the NIR spectra alone or in combination with the design variables gave better prediction models for acrylamide than the design variables alone. This implies that the spectra contain chemical information that is not purely a result of the processing variables that were investigated in this experiment. NIR spectroscopy is proposed as a possible tool for screening and identification of potato crisps with a high acrylamide content.     

油炸马铃薯片中丙烯酰胺形成的协同阻断研究

目的研究油炸温度、油炸时间对马铃薯片中丙烯酰胺生成的影响,进而探讨半胱氨酸(Cys)和热烫处理对丙烯酰胺生成的协同阻断作用。方法将试样马铃薯片分别在不同浓度的Cys(0~5 g/L)溶液中,进行热烫(25~85℃)前处理,在不同温度(140~220℃)以及油炸时间(0~35 min)条件下,油炸处理,利用衍生化气相色谱-质谱联用(GC-MS)法测定样品中的丙烯酰胺含量。结果无预处理下,油炸马铃薯片中丙烯酰胺的生成量,随油炸时间或油炸温度的增加,呈先升高后降低的变化趋势,油炸温度为180℃的条件下,油炸3 min时,达到最大值5.16 mg/kg;油炸时间为5 min的条件下,油炸温度为200℃时,达到最大值4.85 mg/kg。热烫前处理对丙烯酰胺生成具有显著抑制效果,抑制率随热烫温度的升高而增大,室温条件下Cys溶液浸泡对丙烯酰胺生成具有抑制效果,抑制率随Cys浓度增加未见明显变化,然而温度升高后,出现协同阻断效应,Cys浓度为5 g/L和热烫温度为85℃的条件下,丙烯酰胺抑制率达100%。结论 Cys和热烫处理对抑制丙烯酰胺的生成存在协同阻断效应,协同作用下的抑制率与两者单独作用相比显著增加。     

Reduction of acrylamide formation in potato slices during frying

Reduction of acrylamide formation in potato chips was investigated in relation to frying temperature and three treatments before frying. Potato slices (Tivoli variety, diameter: 37 mm, width: 2.2 mm) were fried at 150°C, 170°C and 190°C until reaching moisture contents of ∼1.7 g water/100 g (total basis). Prior to frying, potato slices were treated in one of the following ways: (i) soaked in distilled water for 0 min (control), 40 min and 90 min; (ii) blanched in hot water at six different time-temperature combinations (50°C for 30 and 70 min; 70°C for 8 and 40 min; 90°C for 2 and 9 min); (iii) immersed in citric acid solutions of different concentrations (10 and 20 g/l) for half an hour. Glucose and asparagine concentration was determined in potato slices before frying, whereas acrylamide content was determined in the resultant fried potato chips. Glucose content decreased in ∼32% in potato slices soaked 90 min in distilled water. Soaked slices showed on average a reduction of acrylamide formation of 27%, 38% and 20% at 150°C, 170°C and 190°C, respectively, when they were compared against the control. Blanching reduced on average 76% and 68% of the glucose and asparagine content compared to the control. Potato slices blanched at 50°C for 70 min surprisingly had a very low acrylamide content (28 μm/kg) even when they were fried at 190°C. Potato immersion in citric acid solutions of 10 and 20 g/l reduced acrylamide formation by almost 70% for slices fried at 150°C. For the three pre-treatments studied, acrylamide formation increased dramatically as the frying temperature increased from 150°C to 190°C.     

Effect of innovative pre-treatments on the mitigation of acrylamide formation in potato chips

The aim of this research was to evaluate the reduction of acrylamide (AA) formation in potato chips applying innovative pre-treatments. Raw potato slices were subjected for 5 and 15 min to: dipping in water; dipping in Aureobasidium pullulans L1 yeast water suspension; dipping in water or in yeast water suspension after pulsed electric fields (PEF) in order to investigate a possible synergistic effect of pre-treatments. The raw potato samples were analysed for AA precursors and, after frying, for AA by using HPLC-MS/MS. In addition, the final potato chips main quality parameters were evaluated.Compared to untreated potato chips, yeast treatment promoted a reduction of AA formation mainly at the longest dipping time (15 min). PEF treatment followed by water dipping was the most effective in reducing AA for both the studied treatment times. The combination of PEF and yeast treatments led only a slight reduction of AA formation.Industrial relevanceThe Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 has established new acrylamide (AA) benchmark levels in different foods due to its negative classification as “probably carcinogenic to human”. For this reason, food industries are interested in developing different processing methods to reduce the AA formation and at the same time to maintain an acceptable quality of final products. Fried potatoes (French fries and chips) are the most vulnerable foods in terms of high content of AA formation, being rich in the main Maillard reaction substrates, such as asparagine and reducing sugars, and characterized by a high surface to volume ratio. Among the strategies recently suggested for the reduction of AA in potato chips, pulsed electric fields (PEF) and yeast pre-treatments are very promising, having the potentiality to reduce AA precursors in raw potato tissues. In this study the possibility to apply yeast and PEF pre-treatments on raw potato slices with suitable processing times for a possible industrial application were evaluated.     

Color changes and acrylamide formation in fried potato slices

The objective of this work was to study the kinetics of browning during deep-fat frying of blanched and unblanched potato chips by using the dynamic method and to find a relationship between browning development and acrylamide formation. Prior to frying, potato slices were blanched in hot water at 85 °C for 3.5 min. Unblanched slices were used as the control. Control and blanched potato slices (Panda variety, diameter: 37 mm, width: 2.2 mm) were fried at 120, 150 and 180 °C until reaching moisture contents of ∼1.8% (total basis) and their acrylamide content and final color were measured. Color changes were recorded at different sampling times during frying at the three mentioned temperatures using the chromatic redness parameter a¹. Experimental data of surface temperature, moisture content and color change in potato chips during frying were fit to empirical relationships, with correlation coefficients greater than 90%. A first-order rate equation was used to model the kinetics of color change. In all cases, the Arrhenius activation energy decreases alongside with decreasing chip moisture content. Blanching reduced acrylamide formation in potato chips in ∼64% (average value) in comparison with control chips at the three oil temperatures tested. For the two pre-treatments studied, average acrylamide content increased ∼58 times as the frying temperature increased from 120 to 180 °C. There was a linear correlation between acrylamide content of potato chips and their color represented by the redness component a¹ in the range of the temperatures studied.     

Acrylamide levels in potato crisps in Europe from 2002 to 2016

ABSTRACT

European manufacturers’ data on acrylamide in potato crisps from 2002 to 2016 were analysed. A previous study showed a 53% reduction in mean acrylamide levels from 763 ng g^?1 in 2002 to 358 ng g^?1 in 2011. Analysis of data from the longer period showed that since 2011 there has been a levelling off, with the mean level for 2016 being 412 ng g^?1 (still a 46% reduction from 2002), suggesting that the most effective acrylamide reduction measures had been devised and implemented by 2011. There were similar trends in the 90^th and 95^th quantile values, with the 90^th quantile values being below 1000 ng g^?1 (the European Commission’s current ‘Indicative Value’ for acrylamide in potato crisps) since 2010. The proportion of samples with acrylamide above 2000 ng g^?1 fell from 4.8% in 2002 to 0.6% in 2016. Acrylamide levels showed marked seasonal variability, being highest in the first half of the year when potatoes were being used from storage, and lowest from July to September when potatoes were being harvested. Acrylamide levels were higher in thicker types of crisp in the early years of the study, but this difference disappeared in the later years, suggesting that manufacturers had acted to reduce acrylamide formation in these products. Higher values for acrylamide were recorded in north and east Europe than in the south and west up to 2013. Levels in the north and east declined in recent years, but remained higher in the north than in the other regions. The manufacturers’ data were compared with a much smaller dataset provided by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Levels of acrylamide in the EFSA dataset were consistently higher than in the manufacturers’ data, possibly due to uneven sampling through the year and the seasonality of acrylamide levels.     

Acrylamide concentrations in potato crisps in Europe from 2002 to 2011

A dataset of manufacturers’ measurements of acrylamide levels in 40,455 samples of fresh sliced potato crisps from 20 European countries for years 2002 to 2011 was compiled. This dataset is by far the largest ever compiled relating to acrylamide levels in potato crisps. Analysis of variance was applied to the data and showed a clear, significant downward trend for mean levels of acrylamide, from 763 ± 91.1 ng g^?1 (parts per billion) in 2002 to 358 ± 2.5 ng g^?1 in 2011; this was a decrease of 53% ± 13.5%. The yearly 95th quantile values were also subject to a clear downward trend. The effect of seasonality arising from the influence of potato storage on acrylamide levels was evident, with acrylamide in the first 6 months of the year being significantly higher than in the second 6 months. The proportion of samples containing acrylamide at a level above the indicative value of 1000 ng g^?1 for potato crisps introduced by the European Commission in 2011 fell from 23.8% in 2002 to 3.2% in 2011. Nevertheless, even in 2011, a small proportion of samples still contained high levels of acrylamide, with 0.2% exceeding 2000 ng g^?1.