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Submitted to: Food & Function
Publication Type: Review Article Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2015 Publication Date: 5/19/2015 Citation: Friedman, M. 2015. Acrylamide: Inhibition of formation in processed food and mitigation of toxicity in cells, animals, and humans. Food and Function. doi: 10.1039/C5FO00320B. Interpretive Summary: Foods are processed for a variety of reasons: to render them edible; to permit storage; to alter texture and flavor; and to destroy undesirable microorganisms and toxins. Although processing methods can improve nutrition, food microbiology, quality, and safety, they can occasionally lead to the formation of toxic compounds such as acrylamide, which is largely derived from heat-induced reactions between the amino group of the free amino acid asparagine and the sugars glucose and fructose in cereals, potatoes, and other plant-derived foods. The main objective of this overview is to comprehensively survey and interpret present knowledge of worldwide efforts to define the distribution of acrylamide in the food chain, to reduce acrylamide levels in processed food, and to mitigate adverse manifestations of acrylamide after consumption. We anticipate that this effort will contribute to the improvement of food safety and human health. Technical Abstract: Potentially toxic acrylamide is largely derived from the heat-unducing reactions between the amino group of the amino acid asparagine and carbonyl groups of glucose and fructose in plant derived foods including cereals, coffees, almonds, and potatoes. This review surveys and consolidates the following dietary aspects of acrylamide: distribution in food, exposure and consumption by diverse populations, reduction of the content of different food categories, and mitigation of adverse in vivo effects. Methods to reduce acrylamide levels include selecting commercial food with a low acrylamide content, selecting cereal and potato varieties with low levels of asparagine and reducing sugars, selecting processing conditions that minimize acrylamide formation, adding food-compatble compounds and plant extracts to food formulations before processing that inhibit acrylamide formation during processing of cereal products, coffees, almonds, olives, and potatoes, and reducing multiorgan toxicity (antifertiity, carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, teratogenicity). The herein described observations and recommendations are of both scientific interest for food chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and microbiology but also have the potential to benefit nutrition, food safety, and human health. |
