Measurement of evaporated acrylamide during heat treatment of food and other biological materials

It is established that acrylamide could be formed during heating of food products. In the present work we have studied whether the formed acrylamide could evaporate from food at elevated temperatures used in cooking (>160 °C) or used in determination of dry matter in laboratory analysis (ca. 105 °C). It was demonstrated that acrylamide evaporates from food samples during both cooking and temperatures used for drying. Up to ca. 4 μg/m3 could be measured above the fry pan during frying of potato. In parallel we have also studied whether acrylamide could be formed and evaporate during the elevated temperatures of 65–130 °C used for dry matter determinations in other types of samples containing biological material, like agricultural and environmental samples. It was found that acrylamide is formed during conditions for drying of soil, sediment and silage samples, as well as cereals, animal feed, etc. After drying, levels of acrylamide up to about 100 μg/kg were found, e.g. in samples of sediment and sludge. The measurements showed in the food, agricultural and environmental samples tested a minor fraction, roughly estimated to be 0.15–7.2% of the formed acrylamide evaporates at the used elevated temperatures.