Acrylamide is formed in foods containing high amounts of starch by Maillard reactions at high temperatures, such as during frying, baking and drying. Especially a lot of acrylamide is found in chips, crisps, french fries, bread, cookies and coffee. Acrylamide has a neurotoxic and potentially carcinogenic effect, so it is worth limiting the consumption of products containing this compound.

Acrylamide - what is it and how is it made?

Acrylamide(acrylamide) is an organic chemical compound from the group of amides, which, in the form of polyacrylamides, is primarily used in the production of plastics, paints, varnishes, adhesives and masonry mortars, pulp, paper and cosmetics industry. In 1994, acrylamide was added to the list of possibly carcinogenic substances for humans. It has a neurotoxic, possibly genotoxic and carcinogenic effect. In 2002, after the emergence of reports thatacrylamide is found in food , the amount of research on the formation of acrylamide in food products and its effects on the human body increased significantly.

Acrylamide in food is formed as a result of the Maillard reaction - a complex sequence of reactions that take place between reducing sugars (glucose, fructose) and the amino acid asparagine at elevated temperatures (already from 120 degrees Celsius) during the processes of frying, baking, roasting, grilling , toasting, drying and extrusion. The effect of the Maillard reaction is browning of the surface of products, creating a characteristic taste and aroma. A classic example of a Maillard reaction is browning the crust of a bread.

Acrylamide content in food

In the last dozen or so years, great progress has been made in research on the content of acrylamide in food, the conditions for its formation and the possibility of reducing the amount of acrylamide formed in the technological process. Most acrylamide is produced in foods with a high carbohydrate content and low moisture content. The FAO / WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives concluded that in most countries, the largest share of the total consumption of acrylamide is in:

  • potato chips (16-30%),
  • potato crisps (6-46%),
  • coffee (13-39%),
  • Cakes, cookies and biscuits(10-20%),
  • bread and other types of bread (10-30%).

After several scientific studies, it has been found that the average acrylamide intake is 0.5 mg / kg of adult body weight and 0.6 mg / kg of child's body weight. It has been found that the vast majority of acrylamide comes from industrially produced and restaurant-bought foods, and the levels of this compound in home-cooked meals are much lower. The time of heat treatment, temperature and the level of browning of the food as well as the content of the amino acid asparagine in the product, which has a structure similar to acrylamide, have a great influence on the content of acrylamide. Starchy foods such as potatoes and bread are processed at higher temperatures and for longer periods, and are therefore the main source of acrylamide in the diet. Based on the research, several technological treatments have been formulated that help to reduce the amount of acrylamide in food produced on an industrial scale. However, many of them are detrimental to the organoleptic properties of finished products and optimal methods of reducing acrylamide in food are still being searched for.

Acrylamide content in selected foods

Product typeAcrylamide content [μg / kg]
Potato chips<50 - 3500
Chips170 - 2287
Bread (bread, rolls)70 - 430
Breakfast cereals<30 - 1400
Roasted almonds260
Cocoa<50 - 100
Chocolate (powder)15 - 90
Coffee (powder)170 - 351
Cookies, crackers30 - 3200
Nuts and peanut butter64 - 457
Gingerbread10 - 7834
Pizza<30 - 736
Hamburger14 - 23
Meat, poultry30 - 64
Pisces30 - 39
Beer30 - 70
Onion soup concentrate1200
Baked asparagus143
Cornflakes128
Biscuits, biscuits231
S alty sticks 227
Food for infants and toddlers in jars55
Cereal porridges for babies and toddlers138

Effect of acrylamide on the body

Acrylamide enters the body through the systemdigestive, respiratory and skin. Then it undergoes transformations. The half-life of acrylamide in the body is between 2 and 7 hours, which means that it is eliminated slowly. Only a small amount is eliminated in the urine, and up to 90% is changed in the body. The presence of acrylamide was found in breast milk (5 ng / ml) and placenta (2 ng / ml), which shows that the pregnant child and newborn are exposed to this toxic compound. Acrylamide is metabolized to glycidamide - a chemical that binds to glutathione, neutralizing its antioxidant effect and increasing the body's exposure to free radicals. Acrylamide also binds to hemoglobin and DNA molecules. It is very difficult to determine the risk of developing any particular disease associated with the consumption of products containing acrylamide because the amount of this compound varies in food and it also comes from other sources, such as cigarette smoke. Researchers estimate that the risk of developing cancer is 1 in 100 with the consumption of 1 μg / kg acrylamide per day.

Neurotoxic effects of acrylamide

Acrylamide is toxic to the peripheral and central nervous systems. Long-term contact with this substance causes damage to nerve endings, which results in weakness, tingling and numbness in the limbs, convulsions, ataxia (problems with coordination of movements and maintaining balance) and other neurological and motor disorders. Acrylamide reduces the release of neurotransmitters, which ultimately leads to the degradation of nerve cells. Creatine kinase, a substance that participates in the production of ATP - the source of energy for the cell, is very sensitive to acrylamide. Lack of ATP consequently means cell death. Prolonged contact with acrylamide may inhibit the transmission of nerve impulses and irreversible damage to the nervous system. Comparing the effects of acrylamide on humans and animals, it has been shown that the human brain is very sensitive to this neurotoxin. It should be noted that strong reactions from the nervous system appear after contact with very high doses of acrylamide at the level of 0.5 mg / kg body weight per day, and consumption of such an amount of neurotoxin with food is impossible.

Effect of acrylamide on DNA

Acrylamide itself shows little ability to attach to DNA. The main genotoxic activity is attributed to glycidamide, the compound into which acrylamide is transformed in the body. Glycidamide shows high reactivity in the formation of adducts with genetic material, has a mutagenic effect and increases the risk of inducing the process of carcinogenesis. Acrylamide causes DNA strand breaks,reduces the efficiency of the repair process and contributes to cell death. It also impairs the unraveling of the double-stranded DNA, which can lead to a change in gene expression and the production of defective proteins or RNA. The genotoxic effect of acrylamide was confirmed in animal and in vitro studies on human liver cells.

Effect of acrylamide on cancer formation

The carcinogenic effect of acrylamide is closely related to its genotoxicity, i.e. the ability to cause gene mutations. The compound has been shown to be highly carcinogenic in studies in rats and mice. Tumors in animals developed mainly in hormone-dependent organs such as the thyroid gland, prostate and uterus, but also in the lungs and skin. Acrylamide was administered to rats and mice in various ways, including in drinking water and in the form of injections and in various doses. Regardless of the form of administration and dose, an increased formation of neoplastic lesions was observed. However, it cannot be directly predicted that acrylamide will cause the same cancers in humans. It should be noted that the amounts of acrylamide to which animals are exposed in laboratory tests were from 1,000 to 100,000 times greater than those to which people who did not come into contact with acrylamide, but only on the diet, are exposed.

Important

Epidemiological studies have been conducted to show a relationship between acrylamide consumption and human cancer. There was an increase in the concentration of biomarkers indicating the genotoxic effect of acrylamide in people who consume large amounts of starchy food processed at high temperatures. Many more of these biomarkers have been detected in cigarette smokers. To date, researchers have collected insufficient information to draw firm conclusions about the carcinogenicity of acrylamide. It is considered a potentially carcinogenic substance. Even if only high doses of acrylamide have a carcinogenic effect on humans, we live in an environment in which we are exposed to mutagenic and carcinogenic compounds on all sides, so it is worth consciously limiting the consumption of products particularly rich in acrylamide, such as chips, chips or crackers, i.e. food in general highly processed.

Sources:

1. Pingot D., Pyrzanowski K., Michałowicz J., Bukowska B., Toxicity of acrylamide and its metabolite - glycidamide, Medycyna Pracy, 2013, 64 (2), 259-271 2. European Food Information Council, What happens when food is heated , or how acrylamide is formed 3. Żyżelewicz D., Nebesny E., Oracz J., Akrylamid - formation, physicocemic and biological properties, Bormatologia, Chemia, Toksykologia, 2010, 3, 415-427 4. MojskaH., Gielecińska I., Stoś K., Jarosz M., Acrylamide content in food in Poland in the light of the current European Union recommendations, Problems of Hygiene and Epidemiology, 2011, 92 (3), 625-628

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