USDA Scientists Develop New Method for Detecting Acrylamide in Potatoes
Friday, December 9, 2016
  • Acrylamide is a chemical that forms during high-temperature cooking of certain foods, e.g., in the preparation of French fries, toasting of bread, or roasting of coffee.  Data indicate that acrylamide has carcinogenic properties, and this substance was first added to California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals in 1990.  Earlier this year, FDA issued final guidance to the food industry regarding steps that may be taken to reduce acrylamide levels in certain foods.
  • On November 30, 2016, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service announced that its scientists have developed a new technique called “near-infrared spectroscopy” (NIRS) which can rapidly analyze acrylamide in white-potato French fries.  Until now, the process used to determine acrylamide levels in food required sophisticated, time-consuming analytical techniques that require expensive equipment.  USDAreports that the newly developed NIRS technique provides potato breeders and processors a quicker, less expensive method to test and evaluate large numbers of potato hybrids for potential acrylamide formation.  According to USDA-ARS research leader Van-Den Truong, food processors typically pay about $250 per sample to test French fries and other products for acrylamide, whereas the cost per sample using the new NIRS technique would be roughly $25.
  • It remains to be seen whether and to what extent this newly developed technique will assist industry efforts to curb acrylamide levels in affected foods.
 

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