How drying methods and carrot varieties influence the acrylamide formation in carrot-enriched breads?

Three locally grown carrot varieties (Jerada, Crofton, Nebidia) were dehydrated by hot-air, vacuum, or freeze-drying, and their composition, including ᴅ-glucose, ᴅ-fructose, ᴅ-galactose, and sucrose (HPAEC-PAD), free ʟ-asparagine (IEX), β-carotene (UPLC), and acrylamide (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was evaluated. Variety and fertilization significantly impacted mono-/disaccharide content, free ʟ-asparagine, and β-carotene levels. Blanching reduced sugar and free ʟ-asparagine levels after drying, whereas freeze-drying showed the highest retention of free asparagine and β-carotene. Breads with dried carrot strips exceeded the EU acrylamide benchmark (= 50 μg/kg), reaching from 49.7 ± 3.0 to 131 ± 5 μg/kg per slice. Relative acrylamide formation was the lowest at 3.86 ± 0.25 μg/g (Nebidia, blanched, hot-air dried) and the highest at 10.3 ± 0.7 μg/g (Jerada, unblanched, hot-air dried). Acrylamide levels correlated significantly (p < 0.01) with ᴅ-fructose (r = 0.88), ᴅ-glucose (r = 0.84), and ʟ-asparagine (r = 0.78). Results emphasize that carrot variety, drying methods, and blanching significantly influence precursor levels and acrylamide formation, offering novel insights into mitigating acrylamide in baked goods containing carrots.