Effects of fruit extracts on the formation of acrylamide in model reactions and fried potato crisps

Abstract

Natural products extracted from plants and fruits have attracted increasing attention for the development of effective inhibitors against the formation of acrylamide during food processing. In this study, six fruit extracts (apple, blueberry, mangosteen, longan, dragon fruit with white flesh, and dragon fruit with red flesh) were compared for their activities against acrylamide formation in chemical models containing equal molar quantities of glucose and asparaglne In distilled water (160 °C for 30 min). Apple extract demonstrated potent inhibition on acrylamide formation. Blueberry, mangosteen, and longan extracts did not have significant impact, whereas dragon fruit extracts enhanced acrylamide formation. Column chromatography guided by chemical model analysis showed that the proanthocyanidin-rich subfraction played a key role in mediating the inhibitory activity. The inhibitory activity was finally corroborated in fried potato crisps. The present study identified some natural products that might have important applications in the food industry to inhibit acrylamide formation. © 2009 American Chemical Society.