New Solution for Acrylamide-reduction in Snacks and Baked goods

Royal DSM introduces an enzymatic solution that prevents the formation of acrylamide in high-pH applications such as corn chips, biscuits, and crackers, PreventASe XR.

The company’s previous PreventASe solution is proven to reduce acrylamide in processed foods by up to 95%. While PreventASe is suitable for a broad range of applications, the new PreventASe XR is optimized for higher-pH applications.

“The global conversation about acrylamide is heating up, and DSM is working with our customers to address this challenge for the food industry,” says Fokke van den Berg, business director for baking at DSM. “An advantage of using asparaginase to tackle acrylamide is that it requires negligible changes to a product recipe or production process. With PreventASe and now PreventASe XR, DSM is enabling acrylamide reduction in the widest range of snacks and baked goods.”

Manufacturers face challenges in reducing acrylamide levels in applications that contain ingredients like chemical leavening agents or masa (corn which has undergone a lime treatment) such as savory crackers, biscuits, tortilla chips, and corn chips, and are therefore more alkaline (up to pH 9). A higher-pH can limit the effectiveness of asparaginases currently available on the market. PreventASe XR was developed for more alkaline applications, delivering significant reductions in acrylamide levels of up to 95%, depending on the application, says DSM.

The company mentions that global awareness about acrylamide is on the rise. Acrylamide is a suspected carcinogenic substance formed in foods containing reducing sugars which are processed at a high temperature. Food manufacturers are actively working to reduce acrylamide in their products, but face a challenge to deliver acrylamide-reduced versions of their products with the same taste and texture. DSM’s solutions are asparaginases that convert free asparagine present in many foods, thereby preventing the formation of acrylamide without impacting taste, texture or shelf-life.

PreventASe XR has been nominated for the 2018 Ringier Technology Innovation Award in the food technology category. Winners are announced on July 11 at Food Ingredients Asia in Shanghai, China. We will include updates on this as more information becomes available.