Amino Acids May Cut Acrylamide

Amino acid in wheat flour may help cut the formulation of acrylamide by 80 per cent.

Researchers from the University of Leeds, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, and the University of Reading have discovered that proline may reduce the formation of acrylamide. As the amino acid is the starting point for key aroma compounds in bakery, it may also boost the flavour profile of bakery products.

The findings, which have been published in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, say that in addition to proline, the amino acid tryptophan also cut the formation of acrylamide by 80 per cent, while cysteine and glycine also reduced formation of the suspected carcinogen by about 50 per cent.

Researchers, led by Georgios Koutsidis, tested the effects of the amino acids on acrylamide formation in a sealed low-moisture asparagine-glucose model system. While certain amino acids, including valine, alanine, phenylalanine, and glutamine, did not significantly effect the rate of acrylamide formation, proline, tryptophan, glycine, and cysteine were found to perform the best at reducing formation of the suspected carcinogen.

The study found that proline is present at significant levels in both wheat and rye flour and has been identified as a potent precursor of roasted bread aromas such as 2-acetyl-l-pyrroline and 2-acetyltetrahydropyridine.

Since the carciogen acrylamide first hit the headlines in 2002, more than 200 research projects have been launched around the world with their findings co-ordinated by national governments, the European Union and the United Nations.