Effect of Consumer Food Preparation on Acrylamide Formation Lauren Jackson, Ph.D. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition National Center for Food Safety & Technology Summit-Argo, IL IAFP Latin America Symposium on Food Safety Campinas, Brazil May 27, 2008

National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST)  Unique research consortium composed of scientists from academia, the FDA, and food-related industries Conduct research promoting the safety of the U.S. food supply Conduct research needed to answer regulatory questions related to food safety  Areas of expertise Microbiology Allergens Chemical Contaminants/Constituents Food Packaging Food Processing Novel Preservation Technologies Non-Traditional Contaminants (CT) Nutrition

Background Neurotoxin and potential human carcinogen JECFA concluded that acrylamide may be a human health concern based on Margin of Exposure (MOE) First report, Sweden, April 2002 Found in a wide range of foods, including dietary staples Potato products Breakfast cereal Coffee Bakery products Snack foods Formed through traditional cooking methods (temperatures >120ºC) Top 12 Foods by Mean Acrylamide Intake

Background Formed from asparagine and reducing sugars via Maillard reaction Found in industrially processed food, home-prepared food, and in foods prepared in food- service/restaurant operations Exposure from home-prepared foods- not known Countries/regions differ in food choices and cooking methods Cultural/ethic factors

Acrylamide Research at NCFST Acrylamide Content of Home- Prepared Foods Objectives: Measure the acrylamide content of home-prepared/finished foods Examine the effects of cooking conditions on acrylamide formation Assess the role of ingredient variation on acrylamide content  Evaluate in-home acrylamide mitigation strategies

Mitigation Possibilities: Agronomical Processing/cooking Cooking conditions Control of surface browning Pretreatments Fermentation Recipe/food composition Final preparation/storage

The Challenge:  Product dependent  Retain sensory properties Flavor Color Texture  Safety

Agronomical Factors  Reducing sugars are important determinant of acrylamide formation in potato products; Asn important for cereal products  Use cultivars of potatoes that have low levels of reducing sugars  Control storage of raw materials (esp. potatoes) From Amrein et al. (2003)

Potato Storage Conditions Two cultivars of potatoes Russet Klondike Rose Storage Conditions Room temperature ( o C) Refrigerated storage (6-8 o C) 0 to 4 weeks Prepared French fries from stored potatoes 180 o C, 3 min Corn oil Acrylamide levels greatest in French fries made from refrigerated potatoes

Potato Products- Effects of Cooking Conditions Examined effects frying, baking or broiling conditions (time and/or temperature) on acrylamide formation Used cooking conditions suggested by manufacturer of French fry product Examined the effects of oil type and age on acrylamide formation in deep fried French fries

Effects of Frying Conditions on Acrylamide Formation Acrylamide levels increased with frying time and temperature. At higher frying temperatures, acrylamide levels increased rapidly at the end of the frying run Better control of cooking process if fry at lower temperatures/longer times Oil type and age had no effect on acrylamide levels Oil type µg acrylamide/kg

Baked at 232ºC for min Broiled at 260ºC for min AA Levels increased with cooking time Surface temperatures reached >175ºC in baked French fries Levels of AA in baked or broiled French fries < AA levels in deep fried French fries Surface Temperature of Baked French Fries Effects of Baking/Broiling Time on Acrylamide Formation

Effect of Microwaving vs. Baking Baked vs. microwaved whole potatoes Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes Baked/microwaved potatoes until internal temperature reached ~100ºC Measured acrylamide levels in potatoes by LC-MS PotatoCooking Method Acrylamide content Yukon Gold Oven bake22 ± 5 Yukon Gold Microwaven.d. RussetOven bake68 ± 23 RussetMicrowaven.d.

Acrylamide Formation in Baked Goods Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Chip Cookies Most acrylamide found in crust Acrylamide levels increases with baking time and temperature Control of acrylamide- reduce surface browning Fermentation vs chemical leavening

CONTROL OF SURFACE BROWNING POTATO PRODUCTS Acrylamide levels increased with degree of browning Brown color as measured by “L” and “a” values correlated highly with acrylamide levels Same acrylamide levels found in French fries with similar degree of browning (fried French fries) 45 µg/kg 76 µg/kg262 µg/kg 516 µg/kg866 µg/kg1512 µg/kg

Degree of Surface Browning and Acrylamide Levels in Toasted Bread POTATO BREAD

Effect of Degree of Toasting on Acrylamide Levels

Scraping Toast to Removed Browned Surface Micrograms acrylamide/kg

Processing Pretreatments: Washing/Blanching

Effect of Frying to Same Surface Color Russet potato slices Treatments Control Soaked in water for 15 min Fried in 180 o C corn oil Control- 4 min Soaked- 5 min, 20 sec Fried to same surface color- matched “L” value with Hunter Colorimeter

RECIPE/FOOD COMPOSITION Choice of leavening agent (sodium vs. ammonium bicarbonate) Sugar source pH Addition of amino acids/proteins Asparaginase

Conclusions Mitigation possibilities are product dependent. Acrylamide level and degree of browning increases with cooking/processing times and temperatures. Degree of browning is a good indicator of acrylamide formation during cooking or processing in most foods. Proper storage of potatoes before frying is essential for reducing acrylamide levels. Acrylamide levels in fried and baked foods (potato- and cereal-based) can be minimized if cooked to golden or light brown in color. Washing treatments are effective at reducing acrylamide levels in potato products, but only if products are subsequently cooked to golden or light brown color. Removing darkened portions (scraping) of toast is effective at reducing acrylamide levels

Significant Findings

Sources of Information on Ways to Reduce Acrylamide Formation/Exposure Consumer FDA: Additional Information on Acrylamide, Diet, and Food Storage and Preparation JIFSAN Acrylamide Infonet Health Canada: Acrylamide- What you can do to reduce exposure HEATOX: Industry CIAA Toolbox Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC): Draft Code of Practice for Reduction of Acrylamide in Food HEATOX: NORDACRYL: a596fb9ac d20?OpenDocument a596fb9ac d20?OpenDocument

Acknowledgements Joseph Jablonski, Ph.D.; FDA/NCFST Gregory Fleischman, Ph.D.; FDA/NCFST Steve Musser, Ph.D.; FDA Stuart Chirtel, Ph.D.; FDA Lauren Robin, Ph.D.; FDA Fadwa Al-Taher; IIT/NCFST Gerry Kellen, Kraft Foods Jonathan DeVries, General Mills David Lineback, Univ. Maryland/JIFSAN (Retired)