Potential of Low Cost Agro-Industrial Wastes as a Natural Antioxidant on Carcinogenic Acrylamide Formation in Potato Fried Chips.

Acrylamide is classified as a toxic and a prospective carcinogen to humans, and it is formed during thermal process via Maillard reaction. In order to find innovative ways to diminish acrylamide formation in potato chips, several extracts of agricultural wastes including potato peels, olive leaves, lemon peels and pomegranate peels extracts were examined as a soaking pre-treatment before frying step. Total phenolic, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and the reduction in sugar and asparagine contents were additionally performed. Proximate composition of these wastes was found to be markedly higher in fat, carbohydrate and ash contents. Lemon peels and potato peels showed almost similar phenolic content (162 ± 0.93 and 157 ± 0.88 mg GAE /g, respectively) and exhibited strong ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities than the other wastes. The reduction percentage of reducing sugars and asparagine after soaking treatment ranged from 28.70 to 39.57% and from 22.71 to 29.55%, respectively. HPLC results showed higher level of acrylamide formation in control sample (104.94 mg/kg) and by using the wastes extracts of lemon peels, potato peels, olive leaves, and pomegranate peels succeeded to mitigate acrylamide level by 86.11%, 69.66%, 34.03%, and 11.08%, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that the soaking of potato slices in the tested wastes extracts as antioxidant as pre-treatment before frying reduces the formation of acrylamide and in this way, the risks connected to acrylamide consumption could be regulated and managed.

Potato Juice, a Starch Industry Waste, as a Cost-Effective Medium for the Biosynthesis of Bacterial Cellulose.

In this work, we verified the possibility of valorizing a major waste product of the potato starch industry, potato tuber juice (PJ). We obtained a cost-effective, ecological-friendly microbiological medium that yielded bacterial cellulose (BC) with properties equivalent to those from conventional commercial Hestrin-Schramm medium. The BC yield from the PJ medium (>4 g/L) was comparable, despite the lack of any pre-treatment. Likewise, the macro- and microstructure, physicochemical parameters, and chemical composition showed no significant differences between PJ and control BC. Importantly, the BC obtained from PJ was not cytotoxic against fibroblast cell line L929 in vitro and did not contain any hard-to-remove impurities. The PJ-BC soaked with antiseptic exerted a similar antimicrobial effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as to BC obtained in the conventional medium and supplemented with antiseptic. These are very important aspects from an application standpoint, particularly in biomedicine. Therefore, we conclude that using PJ for BC biosynthesis is a path toward significant valorization of an environmentally problematic waste product of the starch industry, but also toward a significant drop in BC production costs, enabling wider application of this biopolymer in biomedicine.

Rapid Assessment of Quality Changes in French Fries during Deep-frying Based on FTIR Spectroscopy Combined with Artificial Neural Network.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy combined with backpropagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) were utilized for rapid and simultaneous assessment of the lipid oxidation indices in French fries. The conventional indexes (i.e. total polar compounds, oxidized triacylglycerol polymerized products, oxidized triacylglycerol monomers, triacylglycerol hydrolysis products, and acid value), and FTIR absorbance intensity in French fries were determined during the deep-frying process, and the results showed the French fries had better quality in palm oil, followed by sunflower oil, rapeseed oil and soybean oil. The FTIR spectra of oil extracted from French fries were correlated to the reference oxidation indexes determined by AOCS standard methods. The results of BP-ANN prediction showed that the model based on FTIR fitted well (R2 > 0.926, RMSEC < 0.481) compared with partial least-squares model (R2 > 0.876). This facile strategy with excellent performance has great potential for rapid characterization quality of French fries during frying.

Comparative Assessment of the Acute Effects of Whey, Rice and Potato Protein Isolate Intake on Markers of Glycaemic Regulation and Appetite in Healthy Males Using a Randomised Study Design.

Global protein consumption has been increasing for decades due to changes in demographics and consumer shifts towards higher protein intake to gain health benefits in performance nutrition and appetite regulation. Plant-derived proteins may provide a more environmentally sustainable alternative to animal-derived proteins. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate, for the first time, the acute effects on glycaemic indices, gut hormones, and subjective appetite ratings of two high-quality, plant-derived protein isolates (potato and rice), in comparison to a whey protein isolate in a single-blind, triple-crossover design study with nine male participants (30.8 ± 9.3 yrs). Following a 12 h overnight fast, participants consumed an equal volume of the three isocaloric protein shakes on different days, with at least a one-week washout period. Glycaemic indices and gut hormones were measured at baseline, then at 30, 60, 120, 180 min at each visit. Subjective palatability and appetite ratings were measured using visual analogue scales (VAS) over the 3 h, at each visit. This data showed significant differences in insulin secretion with an increase in whey (+141.8 ± 35.1 pmol/L; p = 0.011) and rice (-64.4 ± 20.9 pmol/L; p = 0.046) at 30 min compared to potato protein. A significantly larger total incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was observed with whey versus potato and rice with p < 0.001 and p = 0.010, respectively. There was no significant difference observed in average appetite perception between the different proteins. In conclusion, this study suggests that both plant-derived proteins had a lower insulinaemic response and improved glucose maintenance compared to whey protein.

Probabilistic modelling techniques in dietary exposure assessment: application on the risk assessment of cadmium for Austrian adults.

Probabilistic exposure and risk assessment of chemical hazards in the diet have increasingly gained ground in recent years as a pragmatic approach for the approximation of reality. This work presents the outcomes of a project which aimed at applying probabilistic techniques for basic modelling of chronic dietary exposure to food contaminants following EFSA guidance. These techniques, based on Monte Carlo Risk Assessment (MCRA) software and on the programming language R, were employed for the risk assessment of cadmium for Austrian adults, enabling the validation and the critical comparison of the two approaches. Harmonisation and optimisation of procedures, refinement of exposure assessment skills and confidence in the results were the main benefits. Data amount and validity were identified as critical parameters, influencing the precision of the results. Cadmium was selected as a case study due to its toxicological properties, its ubiquitous presence in food and the availability of Austrian occurrence data. Similar exposure and risk estimates were generated through MCRA and R in alternative optimistic and pessimistic exposure scenarios, suggesting low levels of concern, except for vegetarians, whose upper tail exposures are close to the established Tolerable Weekly Intake. However, as occurrence data gaps have been identified as the major element of uncertainty, the estimated exposure and risk levels are characterised as underestimated. Grains and grain-based products, potatoes and leafy vegetables are the main contributors to the intake. The results will contribute to risk management and to a future refinement of the assessment.

Effect of consumer's decisions on acrylamide exposure during the preparation of French fries. Part 2: Color analysis.

Two observational tests were designed to investigate the influence of consumer decisions during the preparation of French fries from fresh potatoes on acrylamide formation. In both tests, color was of paramount importance to volunteers with regards to the decision to stop the frying process. CIE-Lab* color parameters and visual color assessments of French fries were associated with general acrylamide content and its classification according to the EU benchmark levels (BL, 500 µg/kg). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that color parameter a* was the main factor in determining the probability of acrylamide content being above BL, regardless of the culinary practices applied. A cut-off of 0.855 for a* produced the greatest sensitivity (81.1%) and specificity (99.9%) for classifying samples with acceptable BL of acrylamide content. An increase of one unit of a* more than quadruple the risk of acrylamide content not falling within BL. When no external color reference was provided, volunteers misclassified 33.6% of fries as having a golden color. Harmonized criteria based on a reference color chart that indicates a golden color are necessary for producing fries with reduced acrylamide contents and, in this way, limit the risk of exposure to acrylamide in domestic settings.

Sustainable Use of Bioactive Compounds from Solanum Tuberosum and Brassicaceae Wastes and by-Products for Crop Protection-A Review.

Defatted seed meals of oleaginous Brassicaceae, such as Eruca sativa, and potato peel are excellent plant matrices to recover potentially useful biomolecules from industrial processes in a circular strategy perspective aiming at crop protection. These biomolecules, mainly glycoalkaloids and phenols for potato and glucosinolates for Brassicaceae, have been proven to be effective against microbes, fungi, nematodes, insects, and even parasitic plants. Their role in plant protection is overviewed, together with the molecular basis of their synthesis in plant, and the description of their mechanisms of action. Possible genetic and biotechnological strategies are presented to increase their content in plants. Genetic mapping and identification of closely linked molecular markers are useful to identify the loci/genes responsible for their accumulation and transfer them to elite cultivars in breeding programs. Biotechnological approaches can be used to modify their allelic sequence and enhance the accumulation of the bioactive compounds. How the global challenges, such as reducing agri-food waste and increasing sustainability and food safety, could be addressed through bioprotector applications are discussed here.

Assessment of multiple stable isotopes for tracking regional and organic authenticity of plant products in Hesse, Germany.

As demand for regional and organically produced foodstuff has increased in Europe, the need has arisen to verify the products' origin and production method. For food authenticity tracking (production method and origin), we examined 286 samples of wheat (Triticum aestivum), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and apples (Malus domestica) from different regions in Germany for their stable isotope compositions of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and sulphur. Single-variate authentication methods were used. Suitable isotope tracers to determine wheat's regional origin were δ18O and δ34S. δ13C helped to distinguish between organic and conventional wheat samples. For the separation of the production regions of potatoes, several isotope tracers were suitable (e.g. δ18O, δ2H, δ15N, δ13C and δ34S isotopes in potato protein), but only protein δ15N was suitable to differentiate between organic and conventional potato samples. For the apple samples, 2H and 18O isotopes helped to identify production regions, but no significant statistical differences could be found between organically and conventionally farmed apples. For food authenticity tracking, our study showed the need to take the various isotopes into account. There is an urgent need for a broad reference database if isotope measurements are to become a main tool for determining product's origin.

Production of arachidonic acid by Mortierella alpina using wastes from potato chips industry.

AIMS: This research aimed to determine the potential use of wastes from the potato chips industry as a carbon source to develop an economical culture medium for the production of biomass, lipids and arachidonic acid (ARA) by Mortierella alpina. METHODS AND RESULTS: A synthetic culture medium was optimized using a Plackett-Burman and central composite rotatable design, and used as a base to evaluate and characterize the potential use of wastes from the potato chips industry as carbon sources for the production of biomass, lipids and ARA by M. alpina. The waste was selected among other solid and liquid hydrolysed residues/by-products, and local low-cost alternatives for nitrogen sources were also evaluated. After 6 days of fermentation, the biomass concentration reached 20 g l-1 with 40% of total lipids, and a 35% ARA content in the lipids fraction. Savings in production were calculated using a sensitivity analysis for the alternative culture medium in different scenarios. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a 7% savings in culture media expenses in the production of ARA-enriched biomass of M. alpina, compared to the conventional synthetic culture medium, when waste from the potato chips industry was used as an alternative source of carbon and macro/microelements, supplemented with a low-cost yeast extract alternative. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The demonstration of the use of potato chips wastes as a low-cost carbon source for the biomass, lipids and ARA production, suggesting an eco-friendly alternative for the use of agri-food wastes for valuable metabolites production.

Comparative Physicochemical Evaluation of Starch Extracted from Pearl millet seeds grown in Sudan as a Pharmaceutical Excipient against Maize and Potato Starch, using Paracetamol as a model drug.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to compare the physicochemical and disintegrant properties of pearl millet starch with other starches using paracetamol as model drug. METHODOLOGY: Determination of percentage yield, Physicochemical, micrometrics characteristics of starch/granules, drug excipients compatibility studies and evaluation of prepared paracetamol tablets were measured using official techniques. RESULTS: The yield of the millet starch ranged from 30 to 40%. Moisture content 8.77%, pH 5.7, Swelling capacity 1.2, Hydration capacity 1.748, Moisture uptake 11.8%, Amylose 24.6%, with poor flowability and compressibility. No significant difference in hardness, friability% & disintegration times for formulations containing millet starch to that containing potato and maize starch (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: From the study, Millet seeds locally cultivated in Sudan gave a high yield of starch, has same physicochemical properties as maize and potato starch so can be used as an alternative to those starches.

Assessment of physicochemical and thermal properties of soluble dextrin fiber from potato starch for use in fruit mousses.

BACKGROUND: Fruit mousses are products with a relatively low amount of dietary fiber in a single portion, but with additional portions of soluble fiber they may be good alternative to fiber-rich snacks as take-away food. In the present study, the properties of new soluble dextrin fiber (SDexF) from potato starch were assessed to establish whether it could be used to enrich fruit mousses. The properties of SDexF that can affect processing and storage stability of enriched mousses were studied and compared with those of native potato starch and semiproducts (resulting from various drying temperatures). The effect of the addition of SDexF on the pasting properties of mousse was also analyzed. RESULTS: The application of food-grade hydrochloric and citric acids as catalysts in the dextrinization of food-grade potato starch allowed to SDexF to be obtained. Despite the differences in characteristics of the semiproducts, the final SDexF preparations were very similar in the meaning of solubility, dextrose equivalent (DE), retrogradation, and pasting properties. SDexF preparations were characterized by a significantly lower retrogradation tendency, peak viscosity, final viscosity, and gelatinization enthalpy in comparison with both native starch and semiproducts. Soluble dextrin fiber was successfully added to banana-apple mousse. The addition of SDexF to mousse did not cause any undesirable changes to the viscosity of the product, and surprisingly even resulted in mousse with lower viscosity. Turbidity and RVA studies revealed that SDexF was stable and retrogradation processes can be negligible during storage. CONCLUSION: The SDexF obtained from potato starch can be a novel functional substance to increase the dietary fiber content of fruit or fruit and vegetable mousses. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Rapid Assessment of Deep Frying Oil Quality as Well as Water and Fat Contents in French Fries by Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.

Most of the health hazards in fried foods are related to unqualified frying oil and excessive oil content. In this study, the feasibility of using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance techniques (LF-NMR) for analysis of the water and oil contents in French fries, as well as simultaneous evaluation of frying oil quality during deep frying, was investigated. Three proton populations were identified and successfully assigned to water and oil relaxation signals. Significant correlation between the T2 relaxation parameters ( Awater and RCoil) and the water and oil content was acquired. MRI could visualize the changes of signal intensity and spatial distribution, as well as the internal structural changes during frying. Using the correlation model built by multiple regression analysis, the total polar compounds content of the frying oil could be successfully predicted by LF-NMR relaxation characteristics, which indicates that LF-NMR was an effective method to monitor the quality of frying oil.

Assessment of trace metals in five most-consumed vegetables in the US: Conventional vs. organic.

Metal concentrations (As, Cd, Pb, Cr, Ba, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) in conventional and organic produce were assessed, specifically, five most-consumed vegetables from the US including potato, lettuce, tomato, carrot and onion. They were from four representative supermarkets in a college town in Florida. All vegetables contained detectable metals, while As, Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ba are toxic metals, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn are nutrients for humans. The mean concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Cr and Ba in five vegetables were 7.86, 9.17, 12.1, 44.8 and 410 µg/kg for organic produce, slightly lower than conventional produce at 7.29, 15.3, 17.9, 46.3 and 423 µg/kg. The mean concentrations of Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn in five vegetables were 3.86, 58.5, 632, and 2528 µg/kg for organic produce, comparable to conventional produce at 5.94, 68.2, 577, and 2354 µg/kg. For toxic metals, the order followed tomato < lettuce < onion < carrot < potato, with root vegetables being the highest. All metals in vegetables were lower than the allowable concentrations by FAO/WHO. Health risks associated with vegetable consumption based on daily intake and non-carcinogenic risk based on hazard quotient were lower than allowable limits. For the five most-consumed vegetables in the US, metal contents in conventional produce were slightly greater than organic produce, especially for Cd and Pb.

Determination of acrylamide in food using a UPLC-MS/MS method: results of the official control and dietary exposure assessment in Cyprus.

The determination of acrylamide in potato products, bakery products and coffee, and the human dietary exposure is reported. The method reported is based on a single extraction step with water, followed by the clean-up of the extract using solid phase extraction columns and finally, the determination of acrylamide using UPLC-MS/MS. The MS/MS detection was carried out using an ESI interface in positive ion mode. Internal calibration was used for the quantification of acrylamide, because of the suppression/enhancement matrix effects due to the complex nature of the samples. The method performance characteristics were determined after spiking blank samples. The mean recoveries in spiked coffee samples, potato chips, breakfast cereals and crispbread ranged from 93% to 99%, with RSDs lower than 5% for both repeatability and reproducibility conditions. The estimated limits of detection and quantification of the method were 10 and 32 µg kg-1, respectively. The method was used for monitoring acrylamide in 406 samples. Acrylamide amounts ranged from <32 to 2450 µg kg-1. A total of 360 samples (89%) were contaminated with acrylamide, but only 14% of the samples exceeded the benchmark levels of the EU legislation. Foods with the highest mean acrylamide amounts were potato crisps (642 µg kg-1), French fries (383 µg kg-1) and biscuits (353 µg kg-1). The mean and 95th percentile acrylamide exposures of adolescents in Cyprus were 0.8 and 1.8 µg kg-1 body weight per day, respectively. The estimated levels of dietary exposure to acrylamide are not of concern with respect to neurotoxicity. However, the margins of exposure (MOEs) indicate a concern for carcinogenicity. Potato fried products (45%), fine bakery ware (21%) and potato chips (14%) contributed the most to overall acrylamide exposure.

Risk assessment for potentially toxic metal(loid)s in potatoes in the indigenous zinc smelting area of northwestern Guizhou Province, China.

We investigated potentially toxic metal (loid)s (arsenic, As; cadmium, Cd; chromium, Cr; copper, Cu; mercury, Hg; lead, Pb; selenium, Se; and zinc, Zn) in agricultural samples (i.e., Solanum tuberosum L. tubers (potatoes) and their planting media) in the indigenous zinc smelting area of northwestern Guizhou Province, China. Based on the pollution index values for As, Cd, Pb and Zn, the order of the samples was as follow: slag > planting soil with slag > planting soil without slag, and the order of the samples in terms of the bioconcentration factor was the opposite. Cr, Cu and Hg were present in the planting soil with and without slag at slight pollution levels, and the other potentially toxic metal (loid)s had different degrees of contamination. Additionally, the potentially toxic metal (loid) contents in potato were under their limit values except for Cd (all samples) and Pb and Se (some samples). All bioconcentration factors for potatoes were below 0.5, and no health risk index value for potatoes was higher than 0.1. Therefore, although no significant health risk associated with potentially toxic metal (loid)s via consuming potato exists for either adult men or women in the research area, the Cd concentration in this crop should be monitored.

Simultaneous determination and risk assessment of metalaxyl and azoxystrobin in potato by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

A liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated to simultaneously determine metalaxyl and azoxystrobin in soil, potato, and potato foliage samples. The samples were extracted by 20 mL of acetonitrile and purified with dispersive solid-phase extraction using octadecyl silane as sorbent. The method showed good linearity (determination coefficients ≥ 0.9926) for metalaxyl (2.5-500 ng/mL) and azoxystrobin (5-1000 ng/mL). The limits of detection and quantification for both fungicides were 1.5-20 µg/kg. The average recoveries in soil, potato, and potato foliage were 83.07-92.87% for metalaxyl and 82.71-98.53% for azoxystrobin. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were all less than 9%. The method was successfully applied on the residual analysis of metalaxyl and azoxystrobin in field trial samples. The results showed that the concentrations of metalaxyl and azoxystrobin in potato samples collected from Guizhou and Hunan were below 50 and 100 µg/kg (maximum residue limit set by China), respectively, at 5 days after the last application. When following the recommended application manual, metalaxyl and azoxystrobin do not present health concerns to the population because the risk quotients are far below 100%. All the above data could help and promote the safe and proper use of metalaxyl and azoxystrobin in potato.

Probabilistic non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk assessments (Monte Carlo simulation method) of the measured acrylamide content in Tah-dig using QuEChERS extraction and UHPLC-MS/MS.

A modified "Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe" QuEChERS in combination with Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was optimized for the determination of acrylamide content in different types of tah-dig (rice, bread, and potato). Also, the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks (target hazard quotient (THQ) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR)) due to ingestion of acrylamide via tah-dig in the adults and children were assessed by Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method. The recoveries of acrylamide at five concentration levels (n = 3) ranged from 83.82% to 106.41%. The repeatability of the proposed method was demonstrated with RSD% in the range of 11.3-20%. In addition, the limits of detection and quantification were reported as 5 ngg-1 and 15 ngg-1, respectively. The mean levels of the acrylamide contents in rice tah-dig, bread tah-dig, and potato tah-dig were measured as 24.65 ngg-1, 39.48 ngg-1, and 714.11 ngg-1, respectively. The highest acrylamide content was determined in potato tah-dig (2100 ngg-1) and the lowest acrylamide in rice tah-dig (≤LOQ). Based on the conducted risk assessment, the P (95%) of cumulative probability in the MCS method, the lowest and highest THQ was observed in the adults (ingestion bread tah-dig: 1.29E-2), and children (ingestion potato tah-dig: 1.90E+00), respectively. Additionally, the lowest and highest ILCR were reported in adults (ingestion bread tah-dig: 1.29E-5) and children (ingestion potato tah-dig: 7.49E-3), respectively. The rank order of type tah-dig based on THQ and ILCR for all groups of consumers was potato tah-dig > rice tah-dig > bread tah-dig. There is a considerable non-carcinogenic risk for the children due to ingestion potato tah-dig (THQ > 1). Additionally, the significant carcinogenic risk for the Iranian adults and children due to consumption of rice, bread, and potato tah-dig (ILCR > 1.00E-5) was observed.

Determination of acrylamide levels in potato crisps and other snacks and exposure risk assessment through a Margin of Exposure approach.

Potato crisps, corn-based extruded snacks and other savoury snacks are very popular products especially among younger generations. These products could be a potential source of acrylamide (AA), a toxic compound which could develop during frying and baking processes. The purpose of this study was the assessment of the dietary intake to AA across six groups of consumers divided according to age through the consumption of potato crisps and other snacks, in order to eventually evaluate the margin of exposure (MOE) related to neurotoxic and carcinogenic critical endpoints. Different brands of potato crisps and other popular snacks were analyzed through a matrix solid-phase dispersion method followed by a bromination step and GC-MS quantification. The concentration of detected AA ranged from 21 to 3444 ng g-1 and the highest level occurred in potato crisps samples which showed a median value of 968 ng g-1. The risk characterization through MOE assessment revealed that five out of six consumers groups showed higher exposure values associated with an augmented carcinogenic risk.

Assessment of cadmium content of potato grown in Weining County, Guizhou Province, China.

A total of 54 soil and 54 potato samples have been collected from Weining County to evaluate the accumulation of cadmium in potatoes. The concentrations of the total Cd and the available Cd in the soil samples have been detected. The total concentrations of Cd were from 0.41 to 10.0 mg/kg with an average value of 2.60 mg/kg in soil. The concentrations of available Cd in the soil were 0.07 to 3.47 mg/kg with an average value of 0.59 mg/kg. The concentration of the available Cd showed a good linear positive correlation with the total Cd content in the soil. For the 54 potato samples, the Cd concentrations were from 0.023 to 0.18 mg/kg with an average value 0.083 mg/kg (fresh weight).The bioconcentration factor (BCF) values of Cd in potatoes, based on dry weight, were from 0.02 to 0.96 with an average value 0.24. The uptake of cadmium by plants is dependent on various soil and environmental factors. A regression model to predict the concentration of cadmium in Weining potatoes based on soil properties and elevation was developed. The results showed the elevation and the soil pH played an important role and had a negative influence on the uptake of Cd by potato in Weining County. The mean intake of Cd by adults through consumption of potato from Weining would be 5.9 µg/day, and it is well below the provisionally tolerable daily intake for Cd (70 µg/day).

Reduction in Dietary Acrylamide Exposure-Impact of Potatoes with Low Acrylamide Potential.

Acrylamide forms primarily from a reaction between reducing sugars (e.g., glucose and fructose) and an amino acid (asparagine, Asn) formed naturally in foods, including potatoes. This reaction occurs when carbohydrate-rich foods are heated at temperatures above 120 °C. Multiple potato varieties were transformed with potato genomic DNA that results in down-regulation of the expression of the asparagine synthetase-1 gene (Asn1), significantly reducing synthesis of free Asn, and consequently lowering the potential to form acrylamide during cooking. These potatoes with low acrylamide potential (LAP) were tested in agronomic trials, and processed into French fries and potato chips. Decreased levels of acrylamide were measured in these cooked food products when derived from LAP potatoes compared with those derived from conventional potatoes. These reductions can be directly attributed to reduction in Asn levels in the LAP potatoes. The corresponding average reduction in exposure to acrylamide from French fry and potato chip consumption is estimated to be 65%, which would amount to approximately a 25% reduction in overall dietary exposure. Considering that children consume nearly three times more acrylamide than adults on a per kg body weight basis, they would experience the most impact from the reduced acrylamide associated with LAP potatoes. The potential public health impacts, in context of dietary acrylamide exposure reduction, are discussed in this study.