Acrylamide Reduction Remains Top of Mind

Highlights

• What is Acrylamide?

• Acrylamide and FDA Regulations

• Gaining the Attention of the Industry

Acrylamide: The Basics

Acrylamide has been a topic of discussion among food producers and regulators for nearly two decades. The organic compound is primarily a product of a reaction between the amino acid asparagine and reducing sugars in mainly potato or grain products that are baked or fried. Acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in animals exposed to large doses and is a suspected human carcinogen. 

Though carcinogenic pathways are yet to be completely understood, the U.S. National Toxicology Program and the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization / World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) deem acrylamide a human health concern that should be monitored and controlled.

FDA Regulations

The FDA has collected and analyzed food samples as part of its Total Diet Study since 2003. The most recent data, collected in 2011 and 2015, indicates an overall reduction in acrylamide levels compared to earlier data for potato chips and crackers, but not other categories. 

Still, a persistent presence of acrylamide in food products reinforces the FDA’s recommendation for the industry to adopt or increase reduction efforts, as outlined in their 2016 Guidance for Industry on Acrylamide in Foods. However, beyond industry guidance, the FDA does not regulate how much acrylamide can be in food products.

World-Wide Attention

The attention to acrylamide has also been clear within the European Union. Following FoodDrinkEurope’s 2013 guidance document “Acrylamide toolbox,” the European Commission solidified its stance on acrylamide reduction with a 2018 regulation aimed at setting lower benchmark values in certain product categories, namely french fries, potato chips, bread, breakfast cereals, bakery products, coffee, and baby food. 

Business operators in these areas must aim for acrylamide levels that are “as low as reasonably achievable” and provide enough data to assess levels.  Further, the regulation specifies how sampling and analysis must be done.

Free-Asparagine Correlation 

In addition to FDA and EU activities, numerous other scientific and regulatory organizations have developed acrylamide reduction strategies for growers, manufacturers, and food service businesses. Many of the strategies in these guidance materials focus on reducing free asparagine, as that amino acid, in particular, is thought to be the main formation mechanism of acrylamide. Ingredient selection is a strong consideration, as rice has much lower free asparagine levels than wheat and rye.

Further, varieties of certain ingredients are now available that have been engineered to have lower levels of free asparagine. Farming practices and storage conditions of raw materials can have an impact on free asparagine levels as well. These things considered, many other factors drive ingredient selection, such as cost, availability, and nutritional and sensory qualities, so manufacturers may wish to take additional free asparagine reduction actions throughout processing. Two often-mentioned techniques are blanching, to remove surface-free asparagine and treatment with asparaginase, to break down the free asparagine and render it unable to react.

How We Can Help

Mérieux NutriSciences offers a wide range of support for acrylamide reduction efforts. Our newest offering, available now at our Crete, IL, chemistry laboratory, is a method for directly measuring free asparagine in raw materials and finished food products. 

Understanding free asparagine levels at different stages of production can be an important component of an overall acrylamide reduction plan. Beyond this, we offer an industry-leading LC-MS/MS method for detecting acrylamide to 0.001 ppm, providing manufacturers with additional credible data to support reduction goals.

In addition to testing services, our expert consultants can help with risk assessments and acrylamide monitoring recommendations. Contact us today!