Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey
Huseyin Ayvaz completed his master and PhD at the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH and he currently works for Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Department of Food Engineering, in Turkey. His research involves the use of infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics in food and agricultural products with emphasizes given on handheld and portable infrared spectrometers.
Acrylamide is a chemical compound naturally formed during processes such as frying, roasting and baking in a wide variety of foods including French fries, potato chips, cereal, bread and coffee and it has been reported to be a human neurotoxin, a rodent carcinogen and a “probable carcinogen to humans”. Maillard reaction between sugars and amino acids is considered to be the main mechanism for acrylamide formation, with asparagine and reducing sugars as the major reactants present in foods. It has been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals when consumed in excessive amounts (LD50 values are in the range of 107-203 mg/kg bw in rats). Acrylamide has the ability to be absorbed by the skin, inhaled by mucosa or by ingestion through the oral route. Upon consumption through the diet, acrylamide is quickly absorbed from gastrointestinal tract and distributed to the tissues. Acrylamide is metabolized to glycidamide in the liver and becomes more reactive towards DNA and proteins. Up to 50 % of the acrylamide obtained from diet in pregnant woman can be transferred to the fetus via blood through the placenta. As of now, the greatest risk from acrylamide seems to be the neurotoxic effects in humans due to the changes that occur in the central nervous system after exposure to high doses of acrylamide. This study aims to review the precursors of acrylamide, how it is formed in foods, possible mitigating strategies and analytical methods available for its measurement emphasizing some recent infrared-based methods developed for its measurement in our laboratory.
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