Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used to rapidly estimate the amount of acrylamide in white-potato French fries, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Acrylamide is a potentially toxic compound that forms in potatoes and other foods when they are fried, roasted or baked at high temperatures. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued recommendations to help the food industry reduce the amount of acrylamide in specific foods.

Certain foods—including potato products such as French fries—are likely to contain more acrylamide than others. Image credit: Pixabay. The current process used to determine acrylamide levels in food requires sophisticated and time-consuming analytical techniques that require expensive equipment, says Suzanne Johanningsmeier, a scientist at the Agricultural Research Service Food Science Research Unit (FSRU).

In a recent study, Johanningsmeier and colleagues applied NIRS imaging technology to detect acrylamide in potato flour spiked with different levels of the compound. They then used NIRS to test and analyze French fries produced with various pretreatments and cooking times. From these data, a predictive model was developed to allow for rapid and inexpensive estimation of acrylamide content.

Food processors typically pay about $250 per sample to test French fries and other products for acrylamide, according to FSRU research leader Van-Den Truong. The cost per sample using the new model would be about $25.

The NIRS imaging technique also gives potato breeders and processors a quicker, less-expensive method to test and evaluate large numbers of potato hybrids for potential acrylamide formation, according to Johanningsmeier.