Acrylamide: update on selected research activities conducted by the European food and drink industry

Abstract

This paper reviews the progress made by the European food and drink industry (CIAA) on acrylamide with regard to analytical methods, mechanisms of formation, and mitigation research in the major food categories. It is an update on the first CIAA review paper, "A Review of Acrylamide: An Industry Perspective on Research, Analysis, Formation and Control." Initial difficulties with the establishment of reliable analytical methods, in most cases, have now been overcome, but challenges remain in terms of the need to develop simple and rapid test methods and certified reference materials. Many trials have been conducted under laboratory and experimental conditions in a variety of foods, and a number of possible measures have been identified to relatively lower the amounts of acrylamide in food. Promising applications were studied in reconstituted potato models by addition of amino acids or use of asparaginase. In bakery wares, predictive models have been established to determine the role of ammonium carbonate and invert sugar in acrylamide formation. Studies in several commercial foods showed that acrylamide is not stable over time in roasted and ground coffee. Some progress in relatively lowering acrylamide in certain food categories has been achieved, but at this stage can only be considered marginal. Any options that are chosen to reduce acrylamide in commercial products must be technologically feasible and must not adversely affect the quality and safety of the final product.