Acrylamide variability and content in selected local and imported foods in Jordan

Abstract

Acrylamide (AC) is a processing contaminant that is formed in some heated starchy food because of Maillard reaction, which involves a reaction between the reducing sugars glucose and fructose, and the amino acid asparagine and there are concerns about its carcinogenicity. In Jordan, limited data is available on AC content in food, especially local and cultural items. Therefore, the present study aimed to estimate the AC content in selected locally produced and consumed food items in Jordan. Acrylamide concentration in 91 selected food items was measured using ELISA kit. In general, the levels of AC in 67% of all food items were over 100 μg/ kg, where AC concentration ranged from 24 – 3403 μg/ kg. Within the bread and bakery products, the highest AC concentration was found in unsweetened Arabic rusk products (kirshalah) (268 ± 36.6μg/ kg). In the snack and fast- food groups, the highest mean level was in potato chips (1339 ± 1175 μg/ kg) followed by fried potato (498 ± 90.5 μg/kg). Falafel was found to contain (106 ± 21.1 μg/kg). The concentration of AC in traditional Arabic baked sweets such as kunafeh, baqlawah and haresah had levels of 198 ± 3.5, 101 ± 14.8 and 96 ± 8.5 μg/ kg, respectively. The current study provided a base-line data on AC concentration in some Jordanian foods and selected imported snacks. A considerable variation in AC content within each type of locally produced food items was found. The highest AC concentration among the selected local and imported food items in Jordan was in potato products (chips and French fries), followed by biscuits and kirshalleh. Acrylamide monitoring in targeted processed foods should be implemented. Furthermore, an effort needs to be made at national and industrial levels to improve the accuracy and precision of estimated dietary AC intake among different age groups in Jordan.