New Acrylamide Detection Process Launched

A new acrylamide detection method, that could help manufacturers identify the potentially harmful chemical in food products, has been launched by a UK research body.

The Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association Group (CCFRA) has combined extraction and liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC-MS) processes to separate and identify any potential acrylamide fragments in a sample, spokesperson Leighton Jones told BakeryAndSnacks.com.

"The method is being used to support manufacturers in various ways," he said. "They can check whether acrylamide forms in their products and, if it does, can measure the levels."

Acrylamide is a potential carcinogen that is created when starchy foods are baked, roasted, fried or toasted. It first hit the headlines in 2002, when scientists at the Swedish Food Administration reported unexpectedly high levels of acrylamide, found to cause cancer in laboratory rats, in carbohydrate-rich foods.

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