Fluorescence determination of acrylamide in heat-processed foods

A simple and rapid fluorescence method has been developed for the determination of acrylamide in heat-processed food samples. In the determination, acrylamide is degraded through Hofmann reaction to generate vinyl amine, and pyrrolinone is produced when the vinyl amine reacts with fluorescamine, resulting in a strong fluorescence emission at 480 nm. Hofmann reaction is a key step for the fluorescence determination of acrylaminde, and the reaction conditions are investigated and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, the fluorescence intensity increases with the increase of acrylamide concentrations. The linear range between the fluorescence intensity and the square-root of acrylamide concentrations is from 0.05 μg mL(-1) to 20 μg mL(-1) with the correlation coefficient R(2)=0.9935. The detection limit is 0.015 μg mL(-1) and the recovery for food samples is from 66.0% to 110.6%. In comparison with Specification of Entry&Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of The People׳s Republic of China (SN/T 2281-2009), the method showed comparable results and demonstrated the accuracy of the method.