Mitigation of Acrylamide in Panela: Evaluating Storage and Additive-Based Strategies on Physicochemical Properties and Sensory Quality

Abstract Panela, a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar sweetener, undergoes intensive thermal evaporation promoting acrylamide (AA) formation through Maillard reactions. This study characterized AA formation throughout traditional panela production in Útica, Colombia, and quantified AA by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), to assess changes during storage and the effects of food-grade additives. AA concentrations increased from <5 μg/kg in raw sugarcane juice to 1604.4 ± 216.0 μg/kg in granulated panela, which exhibited approximately twice those in block panela, consistent with the higher temperatures and longer heating times. During storage, AA concentrations decreased by up to 70.4% after six months. Among the additives evaluated, cysteine and asparaginase showed the highest mitigation efficiencies, reducing AA formation by up to 89.4% and 78.8%, respectively, whereas glutamine enhanced AA formation. Asparaginase reduced AA concentrations to below 50 μg/kg without significantly affecting sensory quality, highlighting its potential as an effective mitigation strategy for panela processing.