Acrylamide and hydroxymethylfurfural in cakes: An approach to reduce the formation of processing contaminants in sweet bakery products

• Published in: Food research international 2023-03, Vol.165, p.112518-112518, Article 112518
• Main Authors: Simões de Borba, Verônica, Cunha Lemos, Andressa, Paiva Rodrigues, Marcy Heli, Barnes Rodrigues Cerqueira, Maristela, Badiale–Furlong, Eliana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acrylamide; Bakery products; Cake formulation; Daily Exposure; Flour; Processing contaminants; Sweet products; Triticum; Water; Wholemeal flour
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112518

[Display omitted] •Cake made with refined flour and water had lower AA levels than other formulations.•The HMF levels in the cakes were up to 13 times lower by comparison to AA.•Replacing of milk by water reduces AA and HMF formation in cakes by 1.3 times.•The daily exposure of AA + HMF is 1.8 times higher when consuming wholemeal cake. In bakery products, beyond the heat treatment conditions, the type of flour and the combination with other ingredients in different ratios can increase or mitigate the formation of processing contaminants. In this study, a central composite design and a principal component analysis (PCA) were used to assess how the formulation affects the formation of acrylamide (AA) and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in wholemeal and white cakes. The HMF levels (45–138 µg/kg) were up to 13 times lower than the AA (393–970 µg/kg) in cakes. The PCA showed that the proteins increased the AA formation during the dough baking, while the reducing sugar and the browning index were related to HMF formation in the cake crust. The total daily exposure of AA + HMF when consuming wholemeal cake is 1.8 times higher than white cake consumption, in which the values of margin of exposure (MOE), below  10,000). Therefore, a good strategy to avoid high AA levels in cakes is to use of refined wheat flour and water in the formulation. In contrast, the advantage of wholemeal cake about their nutritional value should not be disregarded, thus, the use of water in its preparation and moderate consumption are strategies that could be adopted to reduce the risk of exposure to AA.