Method for Reducing Acrylamide Formation in Thermally Processed Foods

Abstract

In fabricated, thermally processed snack foods, the addition of one of a select group of amino acids to the recipe for the food inhibits the formation of acrylamide during the thermal processing. The amino acid can come from the group of cysteine, lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, and arginine and can be a commercially available amino acid or in a free form in an ingredient added to the food. Amino acids can be added to fabricated foods at the admix stage or by exposing raw food stock to a solution containing a concentration of the amino acid additive.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Technical Field [0002] The present invention relates to a method for reducing the amount of acrylamide in thermally processed foods. This invention permits the production of foods having significantly reduced levels of acrylamide. The method relies on the use of one or more of a select group of amino acids in the manufacture of a snack food. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] The chemical acrylamide has long been used in its polymer form in industrial applications for water treatment, enhanced oil recovery, papermaking, flocculants, thickeners, ore processing and permanent press fabrics. Acrylamide participates as a white crystalline solid, is odorless, and is highly soluble in water (2155 g / L at 30° C.). Synonyms for acrylamide include 2-propenamide, ethylene carboxamide, acrylic acid amide, vinyl amide, and propenoic acid amide. Acrylamide has a molecular mass of 71.08, a melting point of 84.5° C., and a boiling point of 125° C. at 25...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016] In the inventive process, one or more selected amino acids are added to foods prior to cooking to reduce the formation of acrylamide. The amino acid(s) can be added during milling, dry mix, wet mix, or other admix, so that the amino acid is present throughout the food product. The amino acid can also be incorporated into raw foods by exposing the raw food ingredient to the amino acid, such as by soaking. The amino acid can be in the form of either a commercially available chemical or a food product in which the amino acid is present in a free form. The addition of cysteine or lysine has been shown to reduce acrylamide formation in two embodiments of the invention. Selected other amino acids have also been shown to reduce acrylamide formation.

[0017] The addition of one or more selected amino acids effectively reduces the amount of acrylamide found in the end product of the heated or thermally processed food while minimally affecting the quality and characteristics of the end product. Further, such a method of acrylamide reduction is generally easy to implement and adds little or no cost to the overall process.

Problems solved by technology

The formation of acrylamide from amino acids other than asparagine is possible, but it has not yet been confirmed to any degree of certainty.

These findings are difficult to confirm, however, due to potential asparagine impurities in stock amino acids.

Acrylamide has not been determined to be detrimental to humans, but its presence in food products, especially at elevated levels, is undesirable.

Understandably, each food product presents unique challenges for accomplishing any of the above options.

For example, foods that are sliced and cooked as coherent pieces may not be readily mixed with various additives without physically destroying the cell structures that give the food products their unique characteristics upon cooking.

Other processing requirements for specific food products may likewise make acrylamide reduction strategies incompatible or extremely difficult.

However, the addition of any ingredients in the mixing step must be done with the consideration that the ingredients may adversely affect the sheeting characteristics of the dough as well as the final chip characteristics.

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