Acrylamide\nin Fried Sweetpotato: The Relationship\nwith Free Asparagine and Effects of Asparaginase

Fried sweetpotato products are prone to acrylamide formation,\nand\nidentification of the limiting substrate was investigated for mitigation.\nChips were prepared from ‘Bayou Belle’ sweetpotatoes\ngrown at 3 locations (2 years); sugars, free asparagine, total nitrogen,\nand acrylamide formation were measured. Acrylamide formation was correlated\nwith free asparagine contents of raw sweetpotatoes (<i>r</i> = 0.924) with 82–89% being degraded during frying. Total\nnitrogen was moderately correlated (<i>r</i> = 0.505). Sugars\nwere not correlated with acrylamide levels, and less than 30% were\ndegraded in frying. Blanching and a postblanching asparaginase treatment\nreduced acrylamide levels by 89–95 and 98–99%, respectively.\nIn model solutions, acrylamide formation was associated with free\nasparagine concentrations (<i>p</i> < 0.001), but other\nfree amino acids had an antagonistic effect when total free amino\nacids exceeded reducing sugars. Free asparagine was the limiting substrate\nfor acrylamide formation in fried sweetpotato, and management of its\nlevels will minimize acrylamide formation in fried sweetpotato products.