Snack makers on the alert for acrylamide formation in their
baked products have a new tool at their disposal to rapidly
analyse asparagine levels. Designed by laboratory equipment
giant Thermo Fisher Scientific, an automated photometric method
uses the firm's Arena analyser to determine asparagine levels in
both raw and processed foods. In a process known as the Maillard
reaction, asparagine, an amino acid commonly found in food,
reacts with reducing sugars at temperatures above 160°C, to
produce acrylamide, a suspected carcinogen. Since 2002 when
Swedish food regulators first revealed the chemical was present
in a number of baked goods, including crisps, French fries and
baked cereals, efforts by the food industry have been underway
to mitigate acrylamide levels, with a distinct focus on
asparagine's role. But minimising, or preventing, the formation
of acrylamide is a key processing challenge for fried, baked or
roasted foods. Ready-to-use 'asparagine' kit Thermo Fisher
Scientific claims its automated photo