Potential for acrylamide formation in potatoes: data from the 2003 harvest

Reducing sugars, free amino acids, and the potential for acrylamide formation were determined in more than 50 potato samples from the 2003 harvest in Switzerland. The reducing sugar content strongly correlated with acrylamide, whereas no correlation was found between acrylamide and free asparagine or the pool of free amino acids. The reducing sugar contents and the acrylamide potentials were higher in most of the cultivars tested than in the samples from 2002. This was probably due to the hot and dry summer of 2003. Monitoring sugars and amino acids during heating at 120 °C and 180 °C showed that glucose and fructose reacted much faster than sucrose and the amino acids. Glutamine was consumed to a larger extent than any of the other amino acids. During prolonged storage, the reducing sugars decreased considerably while only moderate changes in the free amino acids were observed. Altogether, glucose and fructose remain the critical factors for acrylamide formation in potatoes and represent the most feasible way of reducing the formation of acrylamide in potato products.