Chemistry and Safety of Acrylamide in Food Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, Vol. 561

Citation

Tatham, A. (2007), "Chemistry and Safety of Acrylamide in Food Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, Vol. 561", British Food Journal, Vol. 109 No. 10, pp. 852-852. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700710821377

This volume constitutes the Proceedings of an ACS Symposium held in California in March 2004 on the “Chemistry and Safety of Acrylamide in Food”. The Symposium brought together experts, from a range of disciplines, in the area of acrylamide toxicology/epidemiology/risk assessment, mechanisms and kinetics of acrylamide formation, methods of analysis, formation of acrylamide in different foods and strategies for acrylamide reduction. The chapters in this volume reflect that diversity, giving the reader an excellent background in the issues and methodologies related to acrylamide in food systems, with well documented literature up to 2004.

The first chapter gives a historical perspective of accidental acrylamide exposure in Sweden occurring in leakage from tunnel construction into the environment in 1997, the recognition of acute symptoms of acrylamide toxicity to the discovery and first reports of acrylamide formed during Maillard browning during processing of plant derived foods in 2002. The following chapters review acrylamide toxicity in animal models and the mechanisms of acrylamide metabolism in humans and rodents; human risk assessment through understanding the relationship between acrylamide intake and cancer risk, and biomarkers of acrylamide exposure and their analysis. The chapters are complementary and provide an over view of mechanisms of carcinogenesis and neurotoxicity.

A number of chapters describe the mechanisms of formation and origins of acrylamide and its quantification in different food matrices. The major pathways for the formation of acrylamide from asparagine, which provides the backbone of the acrylamide molecule, are discussed along with other reaction pathways involving lipids and other amino acids are discussed. Latter chapters explore systems for evaluating factors affecting acrylamide formation and in the development of predictive models that can be applied to the reduction of acrylamide levels, particularly in fried potato products. In fried potato products a number of chapters are concerned with the effects of genetics, physiological and environmental effects on potato tubers components that affect acrylamide formation. Methods for acrylamide reduction in crisps and chips (French fries) are discussed, e.g. pre‐blanching or treatment of potato slices and chips, however, there are few studies on the influence of these changes on organoleptic quality as assessed by the consumer. The last chapters describe acrylamide formation and levels in cereal products (i.e. biscuits, bread, toast) and the effects that consumer food preparation. What is lacking, although this does not detract from the volume, is an over view or synthesis of the contents of the chapters.

This volume, therefore, represents an extensive background, reference source for acrylamide issues current in food science and in their complexity.