Food News

When we toast bread, fry potatoes or bake biscuits, a series of chemical reactions take place, responsible for the characteristic colour, aroma and flavour of these foods.However, during these heat treatments, undesirable compounds may also be formed, including acrylamide, a substance that has been under close scrutiny by health authorities and the food industry for many years.

Acrylamide is a chemical compound that can form naturally during the cooking or processing of certain foods at high temperatures, particularly during frying, baking or toasting. Its formation is mainly associated with the reaction between certain reducing sugars and the amino acid asparagine, both naturally present in foods. This reaction, which occurs as part of the Maillard reactions, is also responsible for the characteristic golden-brown colour, aroma and flavour of many cooked products. Although Maillard reactions are essential for developing the sensory characteristics we appreciate in many foods, certain processing conditions can also promote acrylamide formation. Its presence is a food safety concern, as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has highlighted its potential adverse health effects, particularly its genotoxic and carcinogenic potential. Acrylamide can be found in a wide range of commonly consumed products, such as French fries and other potato products, bread and bakery products, biscuits, breakfast cereals, coffee and coffee substitutes, among others. Monitoring its levels is therefore particularly important for both the food industry and the authorities responsible for food safety.

At European level, Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 establishes mitigation measures and benchmark levels aimed at reducing acrylamide levels in food. In addition, Recommendation (EU) 2019/1888 extends monitoring to a wider range of food matrices, with the aim of improving knowledge of acrylamide occurrence and contributing to greater consumer protection. The analytical determination of acrylamide requires specific, sensitive and reliable methods capable of delivering accurate results across a wide variety of food matrices. In this context, AGROLAB Ibérica (Burgos) has obtained accreditation in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard for the determination of acrylamide using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), applicable to all foods included in Recommendation (EU) 2019/1888. This extension of the accreditation scope of our Burgos laboratory represents an important step forward in our analytical capabilities and strengthens the services we offer to the agri-food sector, demonstrating our technical competence to perform these tests across a wide range of food products.

YOUR PLUS: Our laboratories offer accredited acrylamide testing in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025. Contact our Customer Service team for further information.

Authors: Dr Vanessa del Río, Dr Isabel Gómez, AGROLAB Iberica