Acrylamide formation in plantain (Musa paradisiaca) chips influenced by different ripening stages: A correlation study with respect to reducing sugars, amino acids and phenolic content

Acrylamide in alternative snacks to potato: A review

The snack food market has been changing to keep up with the growing demand for healthier products and, as a result, alternative products to traditional potato chips have been emerging to provide health-related benefits. Extrusion, frying, and baking are the main techniques used worldwide in the processing of snacks and are among the main reasons for the formation of toxic compounds induced by heat, such as acrylamide. This contaminant is formed during thermal processing in foods heated at high temperatures and rich in carbohydrates. Processed potato-based products have been pointed out as the main contributors to acrylamide dietary exposure. Many studies have been conducted on potato chips since the discovery of this contaminant in foods and research on the formation of acrylamide in snacks from other vegetables has begun to be conducted more recently. Thus, this review aims to present a detailed discussion on the occurrence of acrylamide in alternative vegetable snacks that are consumed as being healthier and to address relevant questions about the effectiveness of mitigation strategies that have been developed for these products. Through this research, it was observed that, depending on the vegetable, the levels of this contaminant can be quite variable. Alternative snacks, such as sweet potato, carrot and beetroot may also contain high levels of acrylamide and need to be monitored even more closely than potatoes snacks, as less information is available on these food products. Furthermore, various pretreatments (e.g. bleaching, immersion in solutions containing chemical substances) and processing conditions (heating methods, time, temperature) can reduce the formation of acrylamide (54-99 %) in alternative vegetable snacks.

Potential Health Benefits of Banana Phenolic Content during Ripening by Implementing Analytical and In Silico Techniques

Banana ranks as the fifth most cultivated agricultural crop globally, highlighting its crucial socio-economic role. The banana's health-promoting benefits are correlated with its composition in bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds. Thus, the present study attempts to evaluate the potential health benefits of banana phenolic content by combing analytical and in silico techniques. Particularly, the total phenolic content and antioxidant/antiradical activity of banana samples during ripening were determined spectrophotometrically. In parallel, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis was implemented to unravel the variations in the phenolic profile of banana samples during ripening. Chlorogenic acid emerged as a ripening marker of banana, while apigenin and naringenin were abundant in the unripe fruit. In a further step, the binding potential of the elucidated phytochemicals was examined by utilizing molecular target prediction tools. Human carbonic anhydrase II (hCA-II) and XII (hCA-XII) enzymes were identified as the most promising targets and the inhibitory affinity of phenolic compounds was predicted through molecular docking studies. This class of enzymes is linked to a variety of pathological conditions, such as edema, obesity, hypertension, cancer, etc. The results assessment indicated that all assigned phenolic compounds constitute great candidates with potential inhibitory activity against CA enzymes.

Influence of coating material and processing parameters on acrylamide formation in potato patties

Influence of moisture content (MC, 65–35%), frying temperature/time (150–200 °C, 4–12 min), and coating materials (patties coated with bread crumbs – PBC and patties coated with wheat semolina – PSC) on acrylamide formation in potato patties was investigated. Acrylamide content increased with decrease in MC and increase in temperature/time, except for PBC at higher temperatures (180 °C, 8 & 12 min and 200 °C). Morphology analysis suggested PBC to possess more porous coating that resulted in higher oil penetration leading to higher heat transfer rate, moisture evaporation and drying at higher frying temperatures. This led to an initial acceleration of acrylamide formation in PBCs at higher temperatures, followed by its degradation resulting in low acrylamide content in final product. Based on sensory analysis and lowest acrylamide formation, the optimal conditions for frying of potato patties were: (i) MC: 66.53 ± 2.2% (ii) frying temperature: 165 °C (iii) frying time: 4 min.

Acrylamide in non-centrifugal sugars and syrups

BACKGROUND

Acrylamide in foods has been widely studied because of its possible carcinogenicity. Most of the foods investigated were prepared using low moisture and high temperature conditions. Non-centrifugal sugars (NCSs), which have been promoted as 'non-chemical' natural sweeteners, contain precursors of acrylamide and their production processes involved prolonged heating. The acrylamide content in 32 commercial NCSs from coconut, cane and palmyra palm purchased in Asian countries was investigated. Additionally, syrups (80 ^o Brix) produced from coconut and palmyra raw saps and cane juice were prepared by evaporation with prolonged heating (2.5 h to reach 100 °C, 1 h to increase to 110 °C, held at 110 °C for 30 min). The compositions and contents of sugars, amino acids and minerals, as well as the physical characteristics of the raw saps, juice and syrups, were determined.

RESULTS

The acrylamide content of these 32 products ranged from < 15 to 4011 μg kg^-1 . The raw saps and juice were mildly acidic (pH 5.14-5.66) and similar values were observed for their syrups (4.73-5.73). The contents of sucrose, fructose and glucose in the saps and juice from these plants were similar, whereas their compositions varied with respect to amino acids. The variation of the ornithine content was significant, demonstrating a striking influence on the extent of acrylamide formation (867-1564 μg kg^-1 ) in the syrups prepared from these materials.

CONCLUSION

The present study emphasizes the importance of a careful monitoring and control of the critical steps invloved in the manufacturing process of NCSs (particularly the evaporation phase), aiming to protect the health and safety of consumers. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

How Does Cultivar, Maturation, and Pre-Treatment Affect Nutritional, Physicochemical, and Pasting Properties of Plantain Flours?

The effect of cultivar, ripening stage, and pre-treatment method were investigated on the nutritional, physicochemical, and pasting properties of plantain flours from two plantains and two plantain hybrids. There were significant variations (p < 0.05) in chemical composition and physical properties influenced by the interaction of cultivars, ripening stages, and pre-treatment methods. The highest levels of amylose, water-holding capacity (WHC), and oil-holding capacity (OHC) were observed in unripe flours and acid-treated flour recorded the highest content of resistant starch (RS). Flour after pre-blanching contained the highest level of total phenolic (TP), carotenoid contents, and browning index (BI) value. In contrast, acid-treated flours had the lowest BI value. As ripening progressed, peak viscosity and breakdown values increased but final viscosity, setback, and pasting temperature values were reduced. Untreated flour samples showed the highest peak viscosity. Higher breakdown values were found in acid-treated samples and higher setback values in pre-blanched samples.

An improved extraction method for acrylamide determination in fruit and vegetable chips through enzyme addition

An enzyme-addition method to pretreat fried fruit and vegetable chips for acrylamide analysis is reported, followed by determination of the acrylamide contents in 36 marketed fruit and vegetable chip products using LC-MS/MS. To improve the extraction process, the FDA method was modified. Specifically, digestive enzymes were added, overcoming the clogging of filters (or SPE cartridges) after extraction of vegetable chips using water. Diastase was added to extract high-starch products, including potato chips. Recoveries of 90.3-105.5% acrylamide were obtained at the spiking levels of 25-500 μg/kg. LOD and LOQ were similar between the method with (4.5 and 13.7 μg/kg) and without diastase addition (4.4 and 13.2 μg/kg). Okra chip with high mucin content was extracted after adding pepsin. This method provided a recovery of 99.8-102.2%, LOD of 6.0 μg/kg, and LOQ of 18.1 μg/kg. Both methods could be used for analyzing acrylamide, with critical method parameters satisfying European Union regulations.

Acrylamide-induced peripheral neuropathy: manifestations, mechanisms, and potential treatment modalities

Acrylamide is a chemical monomer; its polymer compounds are used in the manufacture of plastic, papers, adhesive tapes, dyes, and food packaging. Lately, scientists found that cooking (mainly roasting, baking, and frying) yields acrylamide. In addition to fried/baked potatoes, coffee and bakery products still contain substantial amounts of acrylamide. Acrylamide has toxic effects on different body systems include genitourinary, reproductive, nervous system, along with being a carcinogenic substance. The neurotoxicity of acrylamide includes central and peripheral neuropathy. In humans, the clinical manifestations include sensory or motor peripheral neuropathy, drowsiness, or cerebellar ataxia. Likewise, it presents with skeletal muscle weakness, hindlimb dysfunction, ataxia, and weight loss in animals. The suggested mechanisms for acrylamide neurotoxicity include direct inhibition of neurotransmission, cellular changes, inhibition of key cellular enzymes, and bonding of kinesin-based fast axonal transport. Moreover, it is suggested that acrylamide's molecular effect on SNARE core kinetics is carried out through the adduction of NSF and/or SNARE proteins. Lately, scientists showed disruption of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) cell signaling pathways in human differentiating neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, exposed to acrylamide. Different treatment modalities have been revealed to shield against or hasten recovery from acrylamide-induced neuropathy in preclinical studies, including phytochemical, biological, and vitamin-based compounds. Still, additional studies are needed to elucidate the pathogenesis and to identify the best treatment modality.

Evaluation of the Starch Quantification Methods of Musa paradisiaca, Manihot esculenta, and Dioscorea trífida Using Factorial Experiments

Background

Starch and its products are used in a variety of ways for both the food and nonfood industries. A factorial experiment is carried out with two factors to explain the behavior of the percentage of starch, where the factors correspond to the extraction method and to the raw material.

Method

Three methods were used in triplicate: the first followed the official technique of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), to perform acid hydrolysis and quantification of starch by Titulation; the second method involved the colorful reaction with iodine using the UV equipment to measure the absorbance and calculate the percentage of starch; as a third method the FTIR was used, through which the concentration of the starch was calculated by the area under the curve obtained from the spectrum.

Results

there is an effect of both the method and the raw material on the percentage of starch, while there was no effect of the interaction; the Tukey test indicates that the highest average percentage of extraction occurs with the extraction method by Titulation and with the starch of Manihot esculenta.

Conclusion

It is used as raw material. The method of quantification of starch by UV-VIS spectroscopy was the best for the study samples because it presented less deviation in relation to the FTIR and Titulation methods.

Optimization of processing technology using response surface methodology and physicochemical properties of roasted sweet potato

The study evaluated the optimal condition for roasting sweet potato using response surface methodology. Proximate composition, antioxidant activity, volatile compounds, and water migration of roasted sweet potato were also determined. The results revealed that the optimal roasting condition included a roasting time of 40 min, a roasting temperature of 235 °C, and a roasting speed of 40 rad/min, the reducing sugar and vitamin C of roasted sweet potato obtained under optimal condition was 47.79 g/100 g (DW) and 60.25 mg/100 g (DW), respectively. After roasting, starch, protein and vitamin C content of sweet potato were significantly decreased, while total phenolic content and antioxidant activity were increased. 2-Methyl butanal was the main aromatic compound. Low-field NMR indicated that the proportion of free water increased and relaxation times (T₂) were decreased after roast process, indicated that the bound water in sweet potato was diffused from inside to outside, thus the texture became softer.