Acrylamide levels in selected Canadian foods

Analytical methods were developed by Health Canada 's food laboratories to measure acrylamide in foods, based on the latest advances in analytical chemistry, specifically liquid chromatography/ tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Method validation has been extensive, with the Food Research Division laboratories' participation in international proficiency testing programs to ensure the quality of data measuring the levels of acrylamide in food commodities, prior to publication of these data and their use in exposure assessment.

Limited food surveys were first conducted on food samples collected locally in Ottawa . Foods chosen for analysis included those from classes of products frequently consumed by Canadians, those considered important from a nutritional standpoint, and those suspected to contain higher concentrations of acrylamide. Commodities that were analyzed included potato chips, french fries from various vendors, cereals, bread, coffee, cocoa products (milk chocolate, baking chocolate) and various other commodities such as roasted nuts/grains/seeds, peanut butter, hamburger, boiled and mashed potatoes, beer, etc.

Table 1 summarizes some of the survey results on food collected through a local market basket survey and analyzed in Health Canada 's food laboratories between November 2002 and November 2003.

Table 1. Acrylamide levels found in foods collected locally (Market basket conducted in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) and analyzed in Health Canada's food laboratories.

¹ 1 ppb (part per billion) is equal to 0.0000001 percent.

² Note that differences between foods and brands do not necessarily reflect differences in exposure or potential risk that would be faced by consumers. The results shown in the table are exploratory and should not be used to indicate the distribution of acrylamide in foods or as indices of good product choices for consumers.

³ Cafeteria fries sampled at approximately 2-month intervals.

⁴ Ottawa Local health food store, the same bin sampled again after a couple of months.

⁵ Coffee (whole kernels only) and coffee substitutes were analysed as is, without brewing.

⁶ This food item is "Standard Reference Material" that is not available at retail.

Potato chips and cereals were monitored over time (through recurrent sampling) to investigate possible trends in acrylamide content. Table 2 presents the preliminary findings of this study.

Table 2. Acrylamide levels in some cereals and potato chip products sampled on various dates in 2002 and 2003.

¹ 1 ppb (part per billion) is equal to 0.0000001 percent .

² Note that d ifferences between foods and brands do not necessarily reflect differences in exposure or potential risk that would be faced by consumers. The results shown in the table are exploratory and should not be used to indicate the distribution of acrylamide in foods or as indices of good product choices for consumers.

The investigation of trends over time of concentration of acrylamide in varieties of cereals and potato chips suggests that levels of acrylamide in these products fluctuate. These variations can be attributed to changes in the concentration of precursors of acrylamide - notably sugars and asparagine - in starting (raw) materials and also to possible changes in process conditions. It was not concluded however that there is a particular trend in concentrations of acrylamide found in these food commodities over the targetted period of time.

The above results show that concentrations of acrylamide varied widely not only between the different food types, but also within individual food categories. The highest concentrations were observed in french fries and potato chips, in which acrylamide was found at low parts per million (ppm, where 1 ppm equals 0.0001 percent) levels. Coffee substitutes were also found to contain higher concentrations, reaching 7 parts per million (ppm). These levels are consistent with those reported in other surveys conducted in the United States , the United Kingdom , Sweden and Norway .

Investigation of pathways of formation of acrylamide was initiated in Health Canada's laboratories, to explain why some foods more than others may lead to the "natural occurrence" of higher levels of acrylamide in baked or fried foods and in order to allow the development of strategies to lower dietary exposure to acrylamide in the event that an unacceptable health risk is identified. It was clearly proven that acrylamide is not present in any ingredient of these food commodities prior to cooking and it is not a contaminant inadvertently added at any stage of food preparation.

Following the initial research into the levels of acrylamide in selected Canadian foods, other food commodities were collected for analysis of acrylamide, as part of Health Canada 's on-going Total Diet and Child Health survey activities. Analytical results were generated on sample subsets representing foods that are specific to certain groups of the general population such as children. Table 3 presents the latest results generated on a preliminary sampling of baby foods.

Table 3. Results of a survey of Baby Food Products for the presence of acrylamide.

¹ 1 ppb (part per billion) is equal to 0.0000001 percent.

² Note that differences between foods and brands do not necessarily reflect differences in exposure or potential risk that would be faced by consumers. The results shown in the table are exploratory and should not be used to indicate the distribution of acrylamide in foods or as indices to good product choices for consumers.

³ The sign < indicates that no acrylamide was detected above 10 ppb.

The majority of samples surveyed showed very low levels of acrylamide, with several products featuring results lower than 10 parts per billion. Further data are being generated on breakfast cereals and coffee substitute. Sample collection is underway and analysis is planned in 2005.