Formation of acrylamide from glucans and asparagine

Model foods consisting of carbohydrates, asparagine (Asn), albumin, and sodium chloride were heated at 180°C for various times, and the levels of acrylamide (AA) in these foods were determined by LC/MS/MS. When glucans such as β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), starch and cellulose were used as carbohydrates in the above model, the levels of AA formed were approximately the same as or much higher than those observed in the glucose model. Glucans were heated in the absence of Asn for one hour, and their degradation products were analyzed for sugar components by HPAEC-PAD and for volatile compounds by GC/MS. The amounts of glucose detected in the glucan models, however, were too low to consider that AA was formed from the glucans in these model foods via the intermediate production of glucose. By contrast, several carbonyl compounds such as acetaldehyde and acetone were detected in the glucan degradation products. Furthermore, AA was formed when acetaldehyde and Asn were heated together in sealed vials at 180°C. These results showed that AA was formed from glucans and Asn, not via glucose produced by glucan hydrolysis, but via volatile carbonyl compounds such as acetaldehyde produced by glucan pyrolysis.