Effects of selected amino acids and water-soluble vitamins on acrylamide formation in a ripe olive model system

• Additives for reducing acrylamide in ripe olives were screened using a ripe olive model system.
• Proline and sarcosine had the best reduction rate on acrylamide formation.
• A good correlation between the acrylamide content in model system and real product was found.
• The formation of acrylamide in ripe olive system was well fitted using a simple logistic function.

A ripe olive model system was used to evaluate the potential inhibiting effects on acrylamide formation from a set of amino acids and water-soluble vitamins. The system was based on ripe olive juice heated at 121 °C for 30 min in a stainless steel tubular reactor. The most potent acrylamide inhibitors were proline and sarcosine, both with inhibition rates of ∼75% at a 100 mM level. In addition, glycine, ornithine, taurine, and γ-amino butyric acid were effective (50–65% inhibition) while the rest of the compounds demonstrated weak or non-significant effects. Acrylamide contents in the model system were found to be highly correlated with the corresponding contents in the real product. The kinetic pattern for the formation of acrylamide in the absence and presence of two selected amino acids, added separately or together, was well fitted using a simple logistic function.