Understanding acrylamides in foods: mechanistic insights, exposure risks and technological approaches for reduction

Acrylamide is a compound with a broad spectrum of toxic effects according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which has classified it as 2A or possibly carcinogenic to humans; acrylamide is formed in food products that pass thermal processes, such as roasting, baking and frying. These processes lead to the Maillard reaction (nonenzymatic browning), which is an important source of flavor and aroma, and sensory characteristics that are appreciated by the consumers; however, from this reaction the formation of newly formed contaminants also occurs as is the case of acrylamide. Strategies presented in this review are based on the reduction of acrylamide formation by controlling the Maillard reaction. This review gathers research on the strategies that allow the reduction of acrylamide formation, one of these being the use of asparaginase to convert asparagine into aspartic acid, the control of the process, the use of vacuum technology, the addition of mono and divalent cations, and the addition of low, medium and high molecular weight polysaccharides. It was found that the technique used depends on the starting raw material, so that the treatment cannot be generalized. The potato blanching in conjunction with the addition of asparaginase is one of the most promising techniques for reducing the content of acrylamide in this type of product.