Acrylamid

If the food is exposed to dangerous substances such as biological, chemical or physical, it will become contaminated. Acrylamide is a process contaminant and poses a chemical hazard in the food chain.

Acrylamide is an organic compound of low molecular weight and highly soluble in water, which is formed from the amino acids asparagine and sugars that are naturally present in certain foods, when prepared at a temperature that is generally more than 120 ° C and with a low moisture content. Acrylamide is mainly formed in baked or fried foods rich in carbohydrates, which in the raw state contain its precursors.

In 2015, the European Food Safety Authority issued an opinion on acrylamide in food, which, based on animal studies, confirmed the conclusions of previous processes according to which the presence of acrylamide in food can increase the risk of cancer in consumers in all age groups. Due to its harmful effects, it is necessary to ensure that food is safe and to reduce the presence of acrylamide in food that contains its precursors in the raw state.

Acrylamide content can be reduced by an approach that prescribes appropriate measures to reduce acrylamide content in food (so-called mitigation measures), such as the implementation of good hygiene practices and the application of procedures based on the principles of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP).

Testing of acrylamide in food and feed is performed by the accredited method, LC-MS / MS technique.