Cysteine alone or in combination with glycine simultaneously reduced the contents of acrylamide and hydroxymethylfurfural

•Cysteine reduced the content of acrylamide and HMF in asparagine/glucose model and biscuits.•Its possible mechanism on reduction of HMF is to inhibit Maillard reaction and to form adduct with HMF.•Its combination with glycine was effective in decreasing HMF content.

Inhibition of acrylamide formation in food has been extensively reported, but some mitigation methods result in a concomitant increase in hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a food contaminant mainly produced through Maillard reaction. Mitigation strategies to reduce HMF are not yet available. This study showed that cysteine alone or in combination with glycine could simultaneously and significantly reduce the content of acrylamide and HMF in asparagine/glucose model as well as in biscuits. Mixing 0.36 g/100 g of cysteine and 0.2 g/100 g (w/w) of glycine into the dough reduced 97.8% and 93.2% of acrylamide and HMF, respectively, in biscuits. Cysteine reduced HMF content possibly by reacting with formed HMF through Michael adduction and Maillard reaction.