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Enzyme cuts out acrylamide

Unapproved food additive could make baked goods safer.

Acrylamide, when it was found in food in 2002, seemed to be the ultimate confirmation that everything tasty is bad for you. Here was a compound that was a probable carcinogen and possible neurotoxin, lurking in practically every fried or baked good.

Read the story here.

Posted by Nicola Jones on August 30, 2006 05:38 PM |

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Dear Nature,

I read with interest your report on asparaginase as a tool to reduce acrylamide in food. Good news indeed. I want to point to 2 inaccurate statements though.

1. Enzymes used in food production are not regulated in Europe as food additives, but as processing aids. The difference is crucial, because the regulatory regime for enzymes is much easier, for a good reason, mentioned in your report: enzymes are heat-labile and will be destroyed by e.g. food cooking or baking. They just become protein.

2. GM asparaginase is not more likely to cause public or regulatory issues in Europe than the other GM enzymes routinely used in food production, e.g. GM rennin in cheese production.

Best regards,

Willy

Posted by: Willy De Greef | August 31, 2006 01:43 PM

what about toast? is there acrylamide in that?

Posted by: concerned toast eater | August 31, 2006 04:31 PM

Toast. You can look at colour pictures of toast and see how much acrylamide you get for each colour. Just download the attached CIAA report and see pages 21 to 23(or if this very big link doesn't work then search with keywords "acrylamide status report" CIAA). I've been wondering about baked asparagus, this vegetable gives its name to the amino acid asparagine!
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geus9W._tE8fAAtatXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE2cHZndDBqBGNvbG8DZQRsA1dTMQRwb3MDMQRzZWMDc3IEdnRpZANGODAwXzc5/SIG=14cr5oh2r/EXP=1157450966/**https%3a//www.fdf.org.uk/resources/AcrylamideCIAAfinal%2520140105.pdf%23search='acrylamide%2520status%2520report%2520CIAA'

Posted by: Peter Ashby | September 4, 2006 11:24 AM

As an alpha, beta unsaturated carbonyl compound, acrylamide reacts spontaneously, and virtually instantaneously, with about any accessible sulfhydryl function. The later are abundant and probably in great excess of any ingested acrylamide. If one wants a safety factor, eat French fries with fresh spinach. The reduced glutathione in the latter will take up the acrylamide well before the food reaches the stomach. By the way, has free acrylamide ever been found in stomach contents?

Posted by: James Ryan | September 4, 2006 06:15 PM

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