Factors Influencing the Acrylamide Content of Fried Potato Products

BACKGROUND: Acrylamide (CAS No. 79-06-1) is known to be a carcinogenic compound, and is classified as a Group 2A compound by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, 1994). Acrylamide can be generated during the browning process via the non-enzymatic Maillard reaction of carbohydrates such as reducing sugars and of amino acids such as asparagine, both of which occur at a temperature above $120^{\circ}C$. Potato tubers contain reducing sugars, and thus, this will affect the safety of processed potato products such as potato chips and French fries. In order to reduce the level of acrylamide in potato processed products, it is therefore necessary to understand factors that affect the reducing sugar content of potatoes, such as environmental factors and potato storage conditions, as well as understanding factors affecting acrylamide formation during potato processing itself. METHODS AND RESULTS: Potatoes were cultivated in eight regions of Korea; For each of these different environments, soil physico-chemical characteristics such as pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, available phosphate, and exchangeable cation content were measured and correlations with potato reducing sugar content and potato chip acrylamide levels were examined. The reducing sugar content in potato during storage for three months was determined and acrylamide level in potato chip was analyzed after processing. The storage temperature levels were $4^{\circ}C$, $8^{\circ}C$, or $10^{\circ}C$, respectively. The acrylamide content of chips prepared from potatoes stored at $10^{\circ}C$ or $20^{\circ}C$ for one month was analyzed and the different frying times were 2, 3, 5, and 7 min. CONCLUSION: This study showed that monitoring and controlling the phosphate content within a potato field should be sufficient to avoid producing brown or black potato chips. For potatoes stored at low temperatures, a reconditioning period ($20^{\circ}C$ for 20 days) is required in order to reduce the levels of reducing sugars in the potato and subsequently reduce the acrylamide and improve chip coloration and appearance.