Food News

Acrylamide is a contaminant according to the definition of Regulation (EC) 315/93 and, as such, constitutes a chemical hazard in the food chain.

It is an organic compound that is formed as a natural by-product in starchy foods (such as potatoes), cereal by-products (such as bread, cookies and other bakery products) or coffee, during the cooking process, especially when temperatures higher than 120 ^oC are reached. In lower concentration is also found in dehydrated fruits, roasted vegetables, black olives and some roasted nuts.

Acrylamide is created when asparagine, an amino acid basic component of proteins, reacts with sugars present in food (fructose and glucose especially) as part of the Maillard reaction, which is responsible for the caramel or toasted color that these products take when roasting, frying or toasting. In the roasted and crunchy parts is where most of the acrylamide is concentrated.

The presence of acrylamide in food was initially detected in 2002 and a scientific opinión publisjed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2015 concluded that levels of dietary exposure to acrylamide were of concern due to its cancinogenic effects.

For this reason, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 of November 20, 2017, which establishes mitigation measures and reference levels to reduce the presence of acrylamide in foods, has just been published.

In addition to the mitigation measures, this regulation also includes some rules on the sampling and analysis of acrylamide. Moreover, Annex IV establishes reference levels related to the presence of acrylamide in various food products.

AGROLAB ^GROUP has the ISO 17025 accreditation for the determination of acrylamide in all types of food.

Author: Isabel Gomez