54I-14

M. MONSOOR¹, R. Liyange², A. Proctor¹, J. Lay², and J.-F. C. Meullenet¹. (1) Dept. of Food Science, Univ. of Arkansas, 2650 N Young Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72704, (2) Statewide Mass Spectroscopy Facility, Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701

Acrylamide is a human neurotoxin which results in the degeneration of proximal axons of the nervous tissue with continuous exposure. European researchers recently found that fried foods contain a significant amount of acrylamide. The levels were a cause of concern when it was realized that the WHO recommends that acrylamide intake in water should not exceed 1 µg/d. Acrylamide is thought to form during high-temperature food processing such as frying. However, there are no studies of the frying oil quality and frying time on the acrylamide contents of frying foods. This research sought to determine the influence of frying oil quality and frying time on the acrylamide content of various frying foods. Three different qualities of oil (fresh oil, moderately used oil, and heavily used oil) and three frying times (2, 4, and 6 min) were used to prepare two Ore Ida (Golden Krinkle and Shoestrings) French fries. The acrylamide contents of the French fries were determined by an LC-MS method. The acrylamide content of the shoestring French fries were significantly greater than the acrylamide content of the Golden Krinkle French fries. The acrylamide contents of the Golden Krinkle French fries when fried with fresh, moderately used, and heavily used oil were 1003, 2086, and 1760 ppb, respectively. The corresponding values for shoestring French fries were 1575, 2337, and 2259 ppb respectively. This research suggests that the oil quality and frying time has significant interactive effect on the acrylamide content of the frying foods. The information obtained from this research will have impact for the general public, the food industry, and the medical community. It also will recommend to industry how to minimize acrylamide development during frying.

Session 54I, Toxicology & Safety Evaluation: General
2:00 PM - 5:30 PM, Monday PM Room Hall I-2

2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana