Acrylamide Reducing it in Potatoes to Prevent Cancer-Causing Carcinogens

Acrylamide, a toxic compound and possible carcinogen is formed in high heated starchy foods like potatoes through the process of the Maillard reaction in which reducing sugars and the amino acid asparagine play a major role. Various strategies which are described below have been employed to reduce the formation of acrylamide in potato chips.

Among these tuber genetics, harvesting time, storage conditions frying temperatures and time, soaking and use of various additives seem to be effective tools for the industry as well as for consumer food preparation. The results of various studies will help the industry to adopt practical effective and innovative ways to reduce the levels of acrylamide even further and calm the markets from demanding to provide warning labels and the manufactures to pay penalties and higher costs.

Acrylamide and Cancer Risk

Acrylamide is used mainly in certain industrial processes, such as in making paper, dyes, and plastics, and in treating drinking water and wastewater. There are small amounts in some consumer products, such as caulk, food packaging, and some adhesives. Acrylamide is also found in cigarette smoke.

Acrylamide can also form in potato chips during frying. Acrylamide forms from sugars and an amino acid that are naturally in food; it does not come from the food packaging or the environment.

Healthy Mind set

Public and market awareness of the problem of the presence of acrylamide in  Potato chips and crisps, is on the rise and the industry is trying hard to find ways to reduce it. This is because studies in animals have shown that acrylamide induces cancer and also affects reproductive performance. Although this may not be the case in Humans, the rick of this is greatly increased

With that being said all food businesses operators (FBOs) are required to put in place simple practical steps to manage acrylamide within their food safety management systems. This ensures that acrylamide levels are as low as reasonably achievable in their food.

Regulation 2017/2158 establishes best practice, mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in food.

Businesses are expected to do the following:

• be aware of acrylamide as a food safety hazard and have a general understanding of how acrylamide is formed in the food they produce;
• take the necessary steps to mitigate acrylamide formation in the food they produce – adopting the relevant measures as part of their food safety management procedures
• undertake representative sampling and analysis where appropriate, to monitor the levels of acrylamide in their products as part of their assessment of the mitigation measures
• keep appropriate records of the mitigation measures undertaken, together with sampling plans and results of any testing

The measures are proportionate to the nature and size of the business, to ensure that small and micro-businesses are not burdened

I have listed below the ways in which you may go about reducing the Acrylamide levels in potato chips.

Agronomy: Reducing Sugars

1. Selection of potato varieties with low reducing sugars that are suitable for the product type.
2. Minimising the risk of high reducing sugars by growing those low sugar varieties best suited to the local growing conditions, by appropriate field selection, and by adherence to agronomy best practice.  
3. Ensuring tubers are mature at time of harvesting (immature tubers tend to have higher reducing sugar levels).
4. Selecting lots based on reducing sugars content (crisp industry) or colour assessment of a fried sample (crisp industry/French fry industry) – good correlation between reducing sugars content and colour.
5. Controlling storage conditions from farm to factory (e.g. temp. >6°C identified as good practice for long term storage, use of sprout suppressants such as chlorpropham (CIPC) in accordance with legislation and GAP, reconditioning at higher temperature. (e.g. ambient) over a period of a few weeks).
6. Store potatoes only for the period of time recommended for each specific variety.
7. Selecting potato based raw materials (flakes or granules) with the lowest possible reducing sugar level that delivers the appropriate product attributes.

Agronomy: Asparagine

1. Selection of crop varieties on the basis of typical free Asn: total free amino acids ratio
2. Control of Asn levels in tubers
3. Farming practices, e.g. fertiliser regimes

Recipe: Other Minor Ingredients (Amino Acids, Calcium Salts & Co-ingredients)

1. Certain minor or co-ingredients have the potential to contain comparatively high levels of AA which could have an impact upon levels in the final product
2. Amino acid and calcium salt addition may impact important product attributes

Recipe: pH

1. The use of acids and their salts has been proven effective at industrial scale in some products
2. Combined treatments of acid and glycine can be applied to balance flavour formation

Recipe: Dilution & Piece Size

1. Partial replacement with ingredients lower in key reactants can be effective
2. Slice/piece thickness can reduce AA through the surface area/volume effect when taking into account finished product moisture and fry temperature profile

Recipe: Fermentation

1. Fermentation reduces levels of key reactants for the formation of AA, and lowers the pH.
2. The use of Lactobacillus to treat potatoes has been proposed. However, this option is currently not suitable for use in the context of present processes and available equipment.

Processing: Asparaginase

1. Asparaginase may reduce AA in reconstituted dough-based products but off-flavours can be created in some recipes.
2. Asparaginase may reduce AA in an optimised lab environment which, however, differs significantly from an industrial setting.

Processing: Thermal Input & Moisture

Thermal input rather than temperature alone is critical to controlling product characteristics. This needs to take account of temperature and frying times and processing equipment.

1. Different solutions to optimise thermal input to manage AA have been implemented in line with existing processing equipment.
2. Vacuum frying offers an alternate thermal input control system, however this technology is not widely available and has limited throughput capacity. Additionally, vacuum frying may not deliver desired product attributes given the lack of maillard compounds formed.
3. For manufacturers that use high temperature flash frying, rapid cooling helps to reduce AA formation.
4. Moisture regime in the fried product is critical for successful industrial implementation of cooking control. Hence, it is important to fry to the maximum end moisture content that makes an acceptable product.

Processing: Pre-treatment (e.g. Washing, Blanching, Divalent Cations)

1. Blanching of potato slices/ pieces prior to processing
2. Peeling and washing of potatoes prior to processing
3. Blanching of potato slabs prior to flake/granule production and blanching of potato slices
4. The addition of di- and tri-valent cations has been proposed to reduce the formation of AA

Processing: Finished Product Colour

1. In-line optical sorting can be an effective measure to remove dark products
2. On-line or Near-line colour measurement

Companies that are frying potato chips/crisps are now both legally and morally obliged to take control of Acrylamide levels and should ensure that their strategy reflects the commitment to reduce levels as much as practicable.

With out a doubt I think that for the most part the steps above are the best basis for a start in laying down the foundations of an Acrylamide reduction system.

Please comment if you have any thoughts.

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Acrylamide WIKI