Cereal grain with low acrylamide formation potential as a raw material for safer cereal-based food products in Serbia

Abstract

The presence of acrylamide, a mutagen and a Group 2A carcinogen, in food, is a health concern that might raise cancer risk. Acrylamide is mainly formed in the Maillard reaction between free asparagine and reducing sugars, during industrial thermal food processing or home cooking, at a temperature over 120°C. The European Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 established mitigation measures and benchmarks for acrylamide levels in some food categories, which were incorporated into the Serbian regulation. Research shows that cereal-based products may bring about 20-60% of acrylamide intake. In Serbia, there are no guidelines for the cultivation of cereals with a reduced potential for acrylamide formation. Knowing that the amount of free asparagine is proportional to the formation of acrylamide in the majority of food products, one of the key approaches is to select the ingredients with a lower level of asparagine. Studies indicate that applying foliar fertilizers with increased sulfur content in some cereals influences the decrease of free asparagine synthesis in grain, lowering the acrylamide potential in cerealbased foods. Furthermore, the choice of the appropriate raw material and production parameters can significantly influence the formation of acrylamide in food products. This review aims to provide insight into current strategies for the mitigation of acrylamide in cereal-based foods, as the status of acrylamide in Serbian regulations

Prisustvo akrilamida, mutagena i kancerogena grupe 2A, u hrani, predstavlja zdravstveni problem koji može povećati rizik od raka. Akrilamid se uglavnom formira u Majarovoj reakciji između slobodnog asparagina i redukujuc'ih šec'era, tokom industrijske termičke obrade hrane ili kuvanja kod kuće, na temperaturi iznad 120°C. Uredbom Evropske komisije (EU) 2017/2158 su utvrđene mere ublažavanja i granične vrednosti za sadržaj akrilamida u nekim kategorijama hrane, koje su uvršćene u srpsku regulativu. Istraživanja pokazuju da proizvodi na bazi žitarica mogu dovesti do 20-60% unosa akrilamida. U Srbiji ne postoje smernice za gajenje žitarica sa smanjenim potencijalom za stvaranje akrilamida. S' obzirom na to da je količina slobodnog asparagina proporcionalna formiranju akrilamida u većini prehrambenih proizvoda, jedan od ključnih pristupa predstavlja odabir sastojaka nižeg sadržaja asparagina. Istraživanja pokazuju da kod nekih žitarica, primena folijarnog đubriva sa povec'anim sadržajem sumpora utiče na smanjenje sinteze slobodnog asparagina u zrnu, smanjujuc'i potencijal akrilamida u namirnicama na bazi žitarica. Takođe, izbor odgovarajuće sirovine i proizvodnih parametara može značajno uticati na formiranje akrilamida u prehrambenim proizvodima.Ovaj pregledni rad ima za cilj da pruži uvid u aktuelne strategije za snižavanje akrilamida u namirnicama na bazi žitarica i status akrilamida u srpskim propisima.