Food & Beverage
ASNInsta test
ASNInsta Test is a newly developed proof-of-concept test. Allowing food manufacturers to measure asparagine instantly.
Field of Expertise
Global Acrylamide reduction strategies
Expertise
What is Acrylamide and why is it dangerous? Acrylamide is a toxic chemical that forms in starchy foods and coffee during production. Acrylamide is classed as a probable carcinogen (cancer-causing agent), it is neurotoxic (damaging to the brain and nerve tissues) and has also been linked to male infertility. Acrylamide is converted in the body to form a substance called glycidamide. Glycidamide is thought to be a major carcinogen (from laboratory test data). In humans, studies have suggested a link between acrylamide and the incidence of pancreatic cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, and cancers of the brain and central nervous system. Where does it come from? Acrylamide forms during high-temperature cooking (above 160°C), which includes baking, roasting, frying and industrial processing. Acrylamide is formed by a reaction between a specific amino acid (asparagine) and reducing sugars (glucose, maltose and fructose) (sucrose can contribute after degradation), which are naturally present in foods and ingredients. This reaction is called the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is also responsible for creating the flavours and aromas of food during roasting, baking, frying and toasting. A proposed mechanism for the formation of acrylamide is shown in Figure 2. Acrylamide formation is a difficult problem recognised by the food industry. Curtis Analytics Ltd aims to help companies and private individuals to reduce the levels of acrylamide in their products and food as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) and to comply with an evolving regulatory framework Wheat products: In wheat, the main limiting factor for acrylamide formation is the level of asparagine content. This is because the amount of acrylamide produced is directly proportional to the amount of free asparagine in the grain. Sugars are not the main limiting factor because they are always relatively high in wheat grain. Further evidence for toxicity The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified acrylamide and N-methyloacrylamide as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (International Agency for Research On Cancer, 1994). Studies in mice have shown that acrylamide could increase the incidence of cancers in the brain and central nervous system, the thyroid and other endocrine glands and reproductive organs (Bousquet and Ettner, 1996). Several lifetime oncogenicity studies in rats have shown that acrylamide increased the incidence of tumours in several organs, especially at higher doses (male dose 0 – 2 mg/kg/day and female dose 0 - 3 mg/kg/day) (Friedman et al., 1995). The biological effects of acrylamide (C3H5NO, Figure 2) and its reactive epoxide metabolite, glycidamide (C3H5NO2, Figure 1) have been studied in vivo and include biological alkylation of proteins such as haemoglobin and enzymes, as well as DNA (Friedman, 2003a, Tareke et al., 2002, Tareke et al., 2000). 1.3.1.2 Legislation and regulation The recently adopted regulation: EU COMMISSION REGULATION (EU 2017/2158) (20-Nov-2017), established mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of acrylamide in food. The regulation requires business operators to adopt mitigation measures necessary to meet the objectives of the Regulation. To confirm compliance with benchmark levels, the effectiveness of mitigation measures by industry will have to be verified through sampling, testing and analysis. For more information follow the link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2017.304.01.0024.01.ENG During the period of January 2017 to November 2017, this survey sampled a total of 271 UK retail products that included French fries, bread, cereals, biscuits, coffee, baby food, popcorn, cakes, pastries and chocolate. Of the 271 products sampled, 269 were analysed for acrylamide and 120 analysed for furan. https://www.food.gov.uk/research/research-projects/survey-of-acrylamide-and-furan-in-uk-retail-products Further reading: Acrylamide in food: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acrylamide-Food-Nigel-G-Halford/dp/1786346583/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=acrylamide+in+food&qid=1553731055&s=gateway&sr=8-1 Acrylamide analyses are obligatory for all food manufacturers. They have to show a reduction of acrylamide levels in their products. Curtis Analytics Ltd offers acrylamide analyses by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques (LC-MS). We work with vast numbers of samples and we offer the most competitive price on the market. We have detected levels of acrylamide formation in different products between 58 µg/kg to 7453 µg/kg in fresh potato crisps. The main objective of the company is to help the food industry mitigate the acrylamide problem in food. Curtis Analytics Ltd is the fastest asparagine testing service company in the UK and holds contracts with five major bread and breakfast cereal producers, farmers and crisp producers. Curtis Analytics Ltd (CAL) was established by Dr Tanya Curtis at the end of July 2017. Formation of the company was encouraged by Rothamsted’s then head of Business Engagement and Commercialisation, Andrew Spencer. He believed that Curtis Analytics Ltd would be very successful, based on his previous experience with similar spin-off and start-up businesses. CAL started operating in 2017 and was entirely supported by Dr Tanya Curtis. Dr Curtis completed her PhD at Rothamsted Research as a postgraduate student registered in the Food Biosciences Department at Reading University. She continued investigations into acrylamide mitigation in wheat through her post-doctoral studies. Her BBSRC-funded £1.6M link project, BB/I020918/1, delivered 11 research papers in internationally reviewed journals and several invitations to international conferences. The last two papers provided bases for the agronomical improvement of wheat management for acrylamide reduction and mitigation that were incorporated into EU regulation: COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2017/2158 of 20 November 2017, establishing mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in food http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2017.304.01.0024.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2017:304:TOC