Introduction to the Special Issue: New Frontiers in Acrylamide Study in Foods-Formation, Analysis and Exposure Assessment

A method on acrylamide elimination: Comparing and tracing reaction pathways of acrylamide and catechin (catechin quinone) using UHPLC-Q-exactive orbitrap mass spectrometry

Acrylamide (AA) elimination is significant in thermal-processing foods that rich in carbohydrate and asparagine. Here, catechin (CAT) and its quinone were utilized to investigate and evaluate the reaction rate of AA's characteristics (electrophilicity, oxidizing ability, and nucleophilicity) and trace the reaction pathways to eliminate AA in model system at 25 °C and 150 °C. It is revealed that AA prefers nucleophilic additions with quinone (k_AA-CATQ = 1.1E-2 min^-1 > k_AA-CAT = 3.1E-3 min^-1). It is prone to react with the B ring of CAT (k_AA-4MC = 1.4E-3 min^-1) via the redox reaction, rather than the A ring (k_AA-PHL = 1.0E-4 min^-1) through the electrophilic reaction. For the investigation of unknown products resulting from the above reactions, a process incorporating mechanism and tentative product speculation was implemented. Thirteen products were partially detected based on the extracted ion chromatography and MS spectrum from UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry. These results provide a new perspective to eliminate AA in thermal-processing foods.

Protective Effects of Wine Polyphenols on Oxidative Stress and Hepatotoxicity Induced by Acrylamide in Rats

In recent years, it has been increasingly suggested that the consumption of natural polyphenols, in moderate amounts, is beneficial for health. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a red wine (the administered dose of 7 mL/kg/day being equivalent to ~16.5 mg/kg/day total polyphenols) compared to a white wine (the administered dose of 7 mL/kg/day being equivalent to ~1.7 mg/kg/day total polyphenols), on the prevention of acrylamide-induced subacute hepatic injury and oxidative stress in Wistar rats. Hepatic damage due to acrylamide intoxication (the administered dose being 250 µg/kg body weight, for 28 days, by intragastric gavage) was assessed by employing biochemical parameters (aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)) and by histopathological studies. Markers of oxidative damage were measured in terms of plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), hepatic Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and glutathione (GSH) levels, and liver antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)) activities. Regarding hepatic enzyme activities, treatment with red wine significantly decreased the AST values (p < 0.05), while for the ALT values only a normalization tendency was observed. Treatment with red wine and white wine, respectively, significantly prevented the increase in MDA and TBARS levels (p < 0.05), as well as the depletion of GSH (p < 0.05). Red wine treatment normalized the activities of the antioxidant enzymes CAT and SOD in rats intoxicated with acrylamide, while supplementing the diet with white wine did not produce significant differences in the antioxidant enzyme activities. Histopathological findings revealed a moderate protective effect of red wine after four weeks of daily consumption. Our findings provide evidence that red wine, having a higher phenolic content than white wine, has a significant protective effect on oxidative stress and liver injury induced by acrylamide in rats, through its antioxidative activity.

Maternal oxidized soybean oil exposure in rats during lactation damages offspring kidneys via Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Cooking oil is an indispensable component of the human diet. However, oils usually undergo thermal oxidation. Oxidized soybean oil (OSO) has been shown to have detrimental effects on humans and has emerged as a root cause of many chronic diseases. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of puerpera exposure to OSO on kidney damage in the mother and offspring using lactating rats as an experimental model.

RESULTS

Pathological sections and ultrastructure showed that OSO exposure resulted in various levels of damage to lactating rats and their offspring. OSO induced oxidative stress in the kidneys of lactating rats, as evidenced by increased levels of hydrogen peroxide, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-8. OSO increased the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase. OSO upregulated the expression of apoptosis-related genes, nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and nuclear factor κB-related inflammatory factor genes. In the offspring of the OSO-exposed mothers, hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha contents were increased. Furthermore, OSO enhanced the levels of Nrf2, NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1, heme oxygenase 1, and p65 and decreased B-cell lymphoma 2.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicated that the kidneys of two generations of rats were compromised by oxidative damage when fed OSO during lactation. This study provides evidence for increasing the genes expression of the Nrf2/heme oxygenase 1 pathway to alleviate the kidney damage caused by OSO in the mother and offspring. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Current Trends of Food Analysis, Safety, and Packaging

Food is a basic necessity for life, growth, survival, and maintaining a proper body function. Rising food demand leads both producers and consumers to search for alternative food sources with high nutritional value. However, food products may never be completely safe. The oxidation reaction may alter both the physicochemical and immunological properties of food products. Maillard and caramelization nonenzymatic browning reactions can play a pivotal role in food acceptance through the ways they influence quality factors such as flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, protein functionality, and digestibility. There is a multitude of adulterated foods that portray adverse risks to the human condition. To maintain food safety, the packaging material is used to preserve the quality and freshness of food products. Food safety is jeopardized by plenty of pathogens by the consumption of adulterated food resulting in multiple foodborne illnesses. Though different analytical tools are used in the analysis of food products, yet, adulterated food has repercussions for the community and is a growing issue that adversely impairs human health and well-being. Thus, pathogenic agents' rapid and effective identification is vital for food safety and security to avoid foodborne illness. This review highlights the various analytical techniques used in the analysis of food products, food structure, and quality of food along with chemical reactions in food processing. Moreover, we have also discussed the effect on health due to the consumption of adulterated food and focused on the importance of food safety, including the biodegradable packaging material.