The role of additives on acrylamide formation in food products: a systematic review

Abstract

Acrylamide (AA) is a toxic substance formed in many carbohydrate-rich food products, whose formation can be reduced by adding some additives. Furthermore, the type of food consumed determines the AA intake. According to the compiled information, the first route causing AA formation is the Maillard reaction. Some interventions, such as reducing AA precursors in raw materials, (i.e., asparagine), reducing sugars, or decreasing temperature and processing time can be applied to limit AA formation in food products. The L-asparaginase is more widely used in potato products. Also, coatings loaded with proteins, enzymes, and phenolic compounds are new techniques for reducing AA content. Enzymes have a reducing effect on AA formation by acting on asparagine; proteins by competing with amino acids to participate in Maillard, and phenolic compounds through their radical scavenging activity. On the other hand, some synthetic and natural additives increase the formation of AA. Due to the high exposure to AA and its toxic effects, it is essential to recognize suitable food additives to reduce the health risks for consumers. In this sense, this study focuses on different additives that are proven to be effective in the reduction or formation of AA in food products.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Acrylamide
• food additives
• polyphenolic compounds
• L-asparaginase

Acknowledgments

Last author acknowledges the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology “the Belt and Road” Innovative Talent Exchange Foreign Expert Project (Grant Number DL2021003001).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.