The recent discovery that cooking various
foods at high temperatures results in the
formation of high levels of acrylamide, has
caused considerable concern because this
compound has been classified as “probably
carcinogenic to humans” by the International
Agency for Research on Cancer. As a
consequence, many researches, some of
which financially supported by national and
international organisms, have been started
all over the world on the mechanisms of
formation and the risks to consumers.
Although much progress has been made
in the last years on the knowledge of the
mechanisms of acrylamide formation in
foods, the role of different compositive and
process variables on the formation of this
molecule has not yet been fully understood.
Based on the most recent literature data, the
following pages deal with properties, methods
of analysis, mechanisms, and kinetics of
formation of acrylamide in foods as well as
with the main technological strategies to
reduce its formation.
