Acrylamide and HMF occurrence and bioaccessibility in instant coffee and coffee substitutes. A study on isolated and milk-combined beverages.

This research evaluated the occurrence and bioaccessibility of acrylamide and HMF in commercial instant coffees (IC) and coffee substitutes (CS), considering both isolated consumption and combination with milk. There were no significant differences in acrylamide content between IC and CS samples (median: 589 vs. 671 µg/kg), but higher variability was reported for CS, probably due to their varied composition (roasted cereals, nuts, honey, dehydrated fruits, and/or chicory). Acrylamide level were always below the EU benchmark for each category. HMF contents were similar between both groups (1354-5127 mg/kg for IC and 735-7134 mg/kg for CS; median: 2890 vs. 2960 mg/kg), with no clear ingredient relationship. Since IC consumption by the Spanish population is ten times higher than that of CS, exposure to acrylamide and HMF was higher from IC (6.8 vs. 1.07 ng/kg body weight/day for acrylamide; 39.1 vs. 4.2 µg/kg body weight/day for HMF). The standardized in vitro gastrointestinal digestion protocol (INFOGEST) was used. The gastrointestinal process reduced the bioaccessibility of acrylamide up to 27.2 % in IC and to 22.4 % in CS, regardless of the presence of milk. HMF bioaccessibility from IC significantly dropped after the gastrointestinal digestion, whereas it greatly increased for CS. The presence of milk did not affect HMF bioaccessibility. These results highlight the importance of assessing food bioaccessibility in typical consumption scenarios, providing a holistic view and a realistic evaluation of the potential risks associated with acrylamide and HMF exposure in the diet.

Acrylamide bioaccessibility in potato and veggie chips. Impact of in vitro colonic fermentation on the non-bioaccessible fraction.

Potato-based products contribute largely to the daily intake of acrylamide. In addition to potato crisps, the European Commission has included veggie crisps in the list of foods that should be monitored for their acrylamide content. In the present study, acrylamide content in potato and veggie chips (sweet potato, beetroot and carrot) and their bioaccessibility after in vitro digestion was assessed. The non-bioaccessible fraction was also submitted to in vitro fermentation under colonic conditions. Faecal samples from volunteers of three age groups (children, adolescents and adults) were used to evaluate the microbiota effect on the acrylamide availability. Sweet potato chips exhibited the highest acrylamide content (2342 µg/kg), followed by carrot (1279 µg/kg), beetroot (947 µg/kg) and potato chips (524 µg/kg). After in vitro digestion, acrylamide bioaccessibility was significantly lower in veggie chips (59.7-60.4 %) than in potato chips (71.7 %). Potato and sweet potato chips showed the significantly lowest acrylamide content in the non-bioaccessible fraction (22.8 and 24.1 %, respectively) as compared with beetroot chips (28.4 %). After the fermentation step, acrylamide percentage in the soluble fraction of veggie chips ranged from 43.03 to 71.89 %, the highest values being observed in sweet potato chips fermented with microbiota from children. This fact would involve that the acrylamide was released from the non-bioaccessible fractions by the microbiota. These findings point out that the levels of potentially absorbable acrylamide after the complete gastrointestinal process could be modulated by both the food matrix composition and the microbiota. These factors should be further considered for a more precise risk assessment of dietary acrylamide in humans.

Characterization and application of a coating of starch extracted from avocado (Persea americana L. cv. Hass) seeds as an alternative to reduce acrylamide content in French fries.

The starch extracted from avocado (Persea americana L. cv. Hass) seeds was characterized and used in the preparation of an edible coating to reduce the oil uptake and acrylamide content in French fries. Starch characterization was carried out using Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, gelatinization, and scanning electron microscopy. Uncoated (UFF) and coated (CFF) French fries were compared and evaluated for moisture, water activity (Aw), fat, color, firmness, acrylamide content, and sensorial analysis. The extracted starch presented a high crystalline structure and good stability to mechanical work and heat treatments. The CFF French fries showed significantly higher Aw, color parameter a*, but lower luminosity and acrylamide content than UFF samples. Similarly, the CFF samples tended to decrease the fat content, although without statistical differences. Avocado seed starch can be an economical and technically feasible alternative to the food industry as an effective coating to reduce acrylamide content in French fries.

Assessment of the acrylamide bioaccessibility in cereal and potato-based foods after in vitro digestion.

Acrylamide bioaccessibility during and after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of cereal and potato-based foods was monitored. Isolated vs combined meals were evaluated with the aim of investigating acrylamide-food matrix interactions. The meals considered were breakfast cereals, biscuits, patatas a lo pobre (patatas-pobre) and French fries for isolated foods; breakfast cereals with yoghurt, biscuits with milk, patatas-pobre with scrambled eggs and French fries with meat steak for combined foods. The non-bioaccessible fraction of acrylamide tended to decrease during the digestion process in all the systems. However, the final bioaccessible acrylamide was affected by the food matrix composition (fibre, protein, sugars and lipids). The digestion of breakfast cereals, biscuits with milk, patatas-pobre and patatas-pobre with scrambled eggs led to acrylamide bioaccessibility below the initial content of the contaminant in the meals. In absolute values, the combined consumption of biscuits and milk significantly reduced the bioaccessible acrylamide compared with isolated biscuits (from 212 to 122 ng; p < 0.05). The presence of protein sources (egg or meat steak) in the potato-based products significantly decreased the acrylamide bioaccessibility, which was more prominent in the French fries-meat steak system (from 2100 to 1698 ng; p < 0.05). These findings establish the importance of considering complete meals and not only isolated foods as well as the study of the non-bioaccessible fractions for a better understanding of acrylamide bioaccessibility, its recovery and interactions during gastrointestinal digestion.

Impact of the consumer cooking practices on acrylamide formation during the preparation of French fries in Spanish households.

An observational study in 208 volunteers in households from 30 Spanish provinces was conducted from May to June 2017 in order to evaluate the formation of acrylamide during the preparation of French fries from fresh potatoes. Consumer cooking practices and household typology were evaluated with an ad-hoc questionnaire. Potatoes (fresh and fried) and frying oil were collected from the households. A total of 36.1% of samples contained acrylamide above the benchmark level for French fries (500 µg kg-1). The mean acrylamide content (550 µg kg-1) and P95 (1747 µg kg-1) were higher than values reported by EFSA (308 µg kg-1 and 971 µg kg-1, respectively). Although the colour 'golden' was the criteria to decide the end-point of frying, nearly 40% of the consumers misclassified it. Acrylamide was significantly correlated with the colour parameter a*, even in this random scenario of frying practices, and is able to distinguish above and below the established benchmark level of 500 µg kg-1 for acrylamide.

Healthy properties of green and white teas: an update.

Green tea has been consumed for centuries in Japan, China and Morocco. White tea, which is considered a variety of green tea, is mostly consumed in China and is very appreciated for its flavor. Currently the consumption of both types of tea has been extended to the western countries even as a functional ingredient. A group of polyphenols called catechins stands out among their bioactive components, the most abundant being the (-) epigallocatechin gallate, with high antioxidant power. Teas also contain other phenolic compounds such as gallic, caffeic, chlorogenic or cinnamic acids, quercetin and proanthocyanidols, caffeine, theophylline, l-theanine and minerals such as fluorine, manganese or chromium. Investigations have mainly been focused on their antioxidant potential and their implication in the prevention and treatment of degenerative diseases. Several studies have evaluated their role in cardiovascular diseases, body weight control, bone mass increase, protection against neurodegenerative diseases and improvement of type 2 diabetes, among other pathologies. The main points of controversy are the design and interpretation of epidemiological and human intervention studies and the lack of information on catechins availability, metabolism and biotransformation. This review compiles and analyzes the latest peer-reviewed papers published from 2002 up to February 2017, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

An investigation of process contaminants' formation during the deep frying of breadcrumbs using a bread coat model.

The formation of acrylamide, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural was investigated in a deep fried breadcrumb coat model resembling the coat batter of breaded foods. The influence of the composition of the breadcrumb and the frying conditions on the formation of these contaminants was evaluated. Six wheat-based flour formulations of breadcrumbs were deep fried in sunflower oil at temperatures between 170-200 °C and for frying times of 1-5 minutes. Results showed significant differences in the levels of contaminants according to the concentration of the potential precursors in the breadcrumbs. HMF was influenced by the sugar content in the breadcrumbs whereas levels of acrylamide were significantly correlated with the ratio between asparagine and reducing sugars. Acrylamide, HMF and furfural were directly related to the frying time and temperature. The composition of the breadcrumb and the compounds formed during frying contributed to the total antioxidant capacity of the fried samples. The bread coat model is a useful tool in the formulation of breaded foods since it allows the evaluation of the contribution of breadcrumbs in the formation of process contaminants after frying.

Transient ischemic attacks characterized by RNA profiles in blood.

OBJECTIVE: Transient ischemic attacks (TIA) are common. Though systemic inflammation and thrombosis are associated with TIA, further study may provide insight into TIA pathophysiology and possibly lead to the development of treatments specifically targeted to TIA. We sought to determine whether gene expression profiles in blood could better characterize the proinflammatory and procoagulant states in TIA patients. METHODS: RNA expression in blood of TIA patients (n = 26) was compared to vascular risk factor control subjects without symptomatic cardiovascular disease (n = 26) using Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 microarrays. Differentially expressed genes in TIA were identified by analysis of covariance and evaluated with cross-validation and functional analyses. RESULTS: Patients with TIA had different patterns of gene expression compared to controls. There were 480 probe sets, corresponding to 449 genes, differentially expressed between TIA and controls (false discovery rate correction for multiple comparisons, p ≤ 0.05, absolute fold change ≥1.2). These genes were associated with systemic inflammation, platelet activation, and prothrombin activation. Hierarchical cluster analysis of the identified genes suggested the presence of 2 patterns of RNA expression in patients with TIA. Prediction analysis identified a set of 34 genes that discriminated TIA from controls with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. CONCLUSION: Patients with recent TIA have differences of gene expression in blood compared to controls. The 2 gene expression profiles associated with TIA suggests heterogeneous responses between subjects with TIA that may provide insight into cause, risk of stroke, and other TIA pathophysiology.

Determinación de carboximetillisina en alimentos tostados y horneados / Determination of carboximetillysine in toasted and baked foods

La carboximetillisina (CML) es un indicador de etapas avanzadas de la reacción de Maillard. Su formación en los alimentos dependerá directamente de la composición de los mismos, pero también dela temperatura y tiempo de calentamiento al que se ven sometidos durante el procesado. Concretamente, se ve favorecida cuando el tratamiento térmico es más severo, de ahí que esté presente en alimentos tostados u horneados como los productos de panadería o bollería. En el presente trabajo se analizó el contenido de CML en 9 tipos de alimentos: pan integral, pan de molde tostado a diferentes tiempos, colines, torta de inés rosales, palmera, caracola, suizo y medianoche y galleta integral más o menos horneadas. La determinación de CML se realizó mediante cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas, previa reducción, hidrólisis y derivatización. Los valores de CML determinados en las muestras del estudio oscilaron entre 1,38 mg/100 g muestra (palitos no integrales) y 10,4 mg/100 g de muestra (galleta más tostada). El pan de molde mostró un incremento en el contenido de CML paralelo al tiempo de tostado, pasando de 6,31 mg/100 g sin tostar, a 6,44mg/100g con 1 minuto de tostado y a 8,95 mg/100 g con 6 minutos de tostado. En conclusión, es importante conocer la cantidad de CML que contiene un alimento, para controlar su ingesta, especialmente en los sometidos a tostado u horneado, ya que, como se ha comprobado en este estudio, el contenido de CML incrementa paralelamente al tratamiento térmico(AU)

Carboximetillysine (CML) is an indicator of advanced stages of Maillard reaction. Its formation in foods depends on their composition but, moreover, on temperature and time of thermal treatment whom they are submitted during processed. Particularly, it is favored when thermal treatment is more severe, with the result that it is present in toasted or baked foods such as bakery products. In the present study, CML content in 9 different foods was analyzed: integral bread, sliced bread which was toasted at different times, breadsticks, “inés rosales” cake, heart-shaped pastry, flaky pastry, bun with sugar and bun and integral biscuit more or less baked. Determination of CML was carried out by GCMS, after reduction, hydrolysis and derivatization. CML values in studied samples ranged from 1.38mg/100 g of sample (no integral breadsticks) to 10.4 mg/100 g of sample (more toasted biscuit). In sliced bread a relationship between CML content and time of toasting was observed, increasing from6.31 mg/100 g without toasting to 6.44 mg/100 g with 1 min and to 8.95 mg/100 g with 6 min of toasting. In conclusion, it is important to know CML content in foods in order to control its intake, especially in toasted or baked foods since, as it has been tested in this study, CML content is related to the thermal treatment(AU)