Acrylamide in roasted barley grains: presence, correlation with colour and decrease during storage

Abstract

We investigated the presence of acrylamide in roasted barley grains, and assessed the correlation between acrylamide concentration and colour, and also examined acrylamide decrease during storage. Acrylamide concentrations in 45 commercially available roasted barley grains were analysed. The mean and standard deviation were 0.24 and 0.08 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The CIE colour parameter a* value had little correlation with acrylamide concentration in roasted barley grains; however, the L* and b* values showed correlations with acrylamide concentration in the grains, yielding a correlation coefficient of 0.42 and 0.40, respectively. Darker-coloured roasted barley grains with lower L* values may contain lower amounts of acrylamide. Although acrylamide concentration decreased by 40% in the grains, and decreased by 36% in the milled grains (teabag form) after 309 days of storage at room temperature a significant difference in the rate of acrylamide decrease was not observed between the grain and teabag forms. The data obtained in this study are of importance to the risk assessment and management of acrylamide exposure in Japan.

Keywords:

• acrylamide
• colour
• roasted barley grains
• mugicha

Funding

This study was carried out as a part of the research project for elucidation of the acrylamide formation and development of practical applications for the acrylamide reduction in heated foods [grant number:21049], Regulatory Research Project for food safety, animal health and plant protection for the Ministry of Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan.