Determination of acrylamide in starch-based foods by ion-exclusion liquid chromatography

A simple and rapid method using liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection (LC–DAD) was developed for the determination of acrylamide in starch-based foods. The method entails extraction of acrylamide with 75% (v/v) methanol in water, concentration, and cleanup with an Oasis HLB solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge. The chromatographic separations were performed on an HC-75H+ column with 5 mM sulfuric acid as the mobile phase, and acrylamide was well resolved from co-extractives in the shape of a protonated cation. The final extract was analyzed by LC–DAD for quantification and the limit of detection was estimated to be 30 μg/kg based on the signal-to-noise ratio of 3 recorded at 200 nm. The method was applied for the determination of acrylamide in spiked food samples without native acrylamide yielding recoveries between 92.5% and 104.0%. Finally, commercial samples of potato chips, cookies, and some Chinese fried foods were analyzed to assess applicability of the method to acrylamide, giving results similar with those reported in the literature.