Identifying the origin of acrylamide in Peruvian panela production to inform strategies for its reduction

Abstract

Maximum levels of acrylamide have been set by the European Commission (EU) 2017/2158 for several food products due to its carcinogenic properties. Although not regulated yet, European buyers are requesting maximum levels of 0.8 mg kg⁻¹ in artisanal panela (raw cane sugar) from northern Peru. Panela in this area is produced by 600 small holder farmers and exportation guarantees a respectable price in an area with a high index of poverty. The objective here was to determine the cause of high acrylamide concentrations in panela to inform cost effective minimisation strategies. We monitored panela production from field to final product to understand the scale of the problem, identify the cause of acrylamide formation, as well as the effect of storage on its concentration. We also determined the utility of rapid kits for asparagine quantification. Our results indicate that high acrylamide levels are a widespread problem (85% of samples analysed) and there was a correlation between acrylamide and asparagine of R² = 0.58 (p < 0.001), but not with any post-harvest processing variable. We estimate that with a concentration of asparagine of <0.1 g l⁻¹ in sugarcane juice, the threshold set by buyers for acrylamide can be met. Potential solutions to reduce asparagine include varietal selection, improved agronomic practices and the use of asparaginase during panela production. However, any proposed measure should be applicable in the context of the rural Peru. Additionally, we confirm the utility of rapid and low-cost kits for measuring asparagine. This pioneering study provides a baseline for effective management for acrylamide minimization in panela.

Keywords:

• Asparagine
• reducing sugars
• Piura
• non-centrifugal sugar
• European Commission regulation 2017/2158

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge help from the farmers for interviews and sample collection. Thanks to Karina Arango, Normando Salvador and Roberto Portocarrero for help in data collection and processing; Fernando Reyes with his continual support in securing funds, and Ruben Tzidijhi Hamburyan for help with the figures. The authors also thank two anonymous referees for their comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by USAID through the Cooperative Development Program, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany through the COVID-19 Fair Trade Emergency Initiative Fund for Associated Producers, and the SeCompetitivo program of the Swiss Cooperation in Peru -SECO.