Study unlocks optimal conditions for enzymatic acrylamide reduction

[Guest guest]

I could be wrong, but this looks like a double-speak study to me to

squelch the fears of carcinogen causing compounds in processed foods.

" In 2002 Swedish researchers found the carcinogenic compound acrylamide

was present at high levels in many foods . The discovery grabbed

international headlines, alarming consumers and food safety authorities

globally

Epidemiological studies have since reported that everyday exposure to

acrylamide from food substances is too low to be of carcinogenic concern -

however in March 2010 the European Chemical Agency added the compound to its

list of ‘substances of very high concern’ . "

[say what? No concern but we will add it to the high concern list anyway

and spend a gazillion dollars on research of how to stop it? Maybe I just

don't understand.]

Study unlocks optimal conditions for enzymatic acrylamide reduction

By Gray, 15-Nov-2010

Related topics: Science & Nutrition, Cereals and bakery preparations

Intermediate levels of the enzyme asparaginase, and low temperatures, may

be the ideal conditions for low acrylamide formation in biscuits, suggests a

new study.

According to findings published in Food Chemistry, scientists from the

Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland report that their study showed a

strategy “to assess the benefit of asparaginase in reducing the acrylamide

formation in biscuits for managing the industrial process.â€

“The model used in this study allowed for the assessment of the effect of

the natural variability associated to the baking process in final acrylamide

concentration, besides the variation of the selected dependent variables,â€

said the researchers, led by DrJesus Frias.

Acrylamide

In 2002 Swedish researchers found the carcinogenic compound acrylamide was

present at high levels in many foods . The discovery grabbed international

headlines, alarming consumers and food safety authorities globally.

Since then acrylamide has been the focus of much research, and had been

found in many foods, including, bread, crackers, biscuits, deep-fried products

and coffee.

Epidemiological studies have since reported that everyday exposure to

acrylamide from food substances is too low to be of carcinogenic concern -

however in March 2010 the European Chemical Agency added the compound to its

list of ‘substances of very high concern’ .

There are various approaches to reduce or prevent the formation of the

compound, and asparaginases are one of the more established forms. Indeed, at

the tail-end of 2007 the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of

the EU (CIAA) included asparaginase in the new version of its Acrylamide

Toolbox, a move seen to validation the efforts of companies that have

developed commercial solutions using the acrylamide-reducing enzyme.

Both DSM's Preventase and Novozymes' Acrylaway are asparaginases, but they

stem from different production strains: Novozymes' from Aspergillus oryzae

and DSM's from Aspergillus niger.

The two enzymes are understood to share the same aim - that is, to convert

free asparagine into aspartic acid, another animo acid that does not form

acrylamide. The nutritional properties are unaffected, and so are the

browning and taste aspects.

Despite “a number of patent applications concerning different processed

foods, such as snack foods, chips, dough foods, etcâ€, the authors claim that

no fundamental modelling of the effect of asparaginase on this the formation

of acrylamide is available.

“Due to the complexity of the relationship between the environmental

variables involved in the enzymatic process and acrylamide formation, the

effective enzymatic activity and the final acrylamide concentration achieved, a

study of these relationships are needed to find the best conditions to

minimise acrylamide formation,†they stated.

Study details

Dr Frias and colleagues stated that the variable with the biggest effect on

acrylamide formation was the concentration of asparaginase introduced,

followed by the effect of temperature. The incubation time of the asparaginase

infused dough was reported to be the least important variable.

“This points to the result that, within the present conditions, variations

in temperature and/or asparaginase will result in a bigger change in the

final acrylamide concentration of the biscuits,†they stated.

The authors reported that within the range of study, an intermediate

asparaginase concentration of 500 U per kg, combined with the lowest time and

temperature of incubation effectively reduced acrylamide formation in short

dough biscuits without affecting the colour of the final product.

Frias and co workers stated that the results contribute to solving the

problems associated with optimising formulation to reduce acrylamide formation.

They noted that further studies should aim to not only study the conditions

that yield a minimum of acrylamide, but also aim at minimising the

variability of acrylamide content in formulations.

Source: Food Chemistry

Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.11.007

“Modelling the effect of asparaginase in reducing acrylamide formation in

biscuitsâ€

Authors:M. Anese, B. Quarta, J. Frias