Evaluating acrylamide formation in roasted cereals and pseudocereals: a food safety perspective

Resumen del trabajo presentado a la XXIII European Conference on Food Chemistry Conference (EuroFoodChem), celebrada en Bratislavia (Eslovaquia) del 11 al 13 de junio de 2025.

Over the past few years, incorporating alternative cereals and pseudocereals in cereal-based foods has gained traction as a response to consumer demand for more diverse, innovative products. Cereals such as rice and rye, along with pseudocereals like quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat, are commonly included in food formulations due to their favorable nutritional composition, bioactive properties, and, except for rye, suitability for gluten-free diets. Despite their benefits, these ingredients can also increase exposure to heat-induced contaminants such as acrylamide, which forms during high-temperature processing. Given these concerns, this study investigated acrylamide formation in rice, rye, quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat seeds subjected to roasting at different conditions (160–200°C for 10–30 minutes) in two forms (whole and ground seeds), using wheat seeds as a reference. Acrylamide levels in roasted samples were determined by LC-ESI-MS/MS. The results revealed that acrylamide formation was directly influenced by thermal intensity, with the highest levels detected in ground seeds roasted at 200°C for 20 minutes. Compared to wheat seeds (841 μg/kg), rice, quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat presented lower acrylamide levels (729 μg/kg, 517 μg/kg, 236 μg/kg, and 566 μg/kg, respectively). In contrast, ground rye seeds exhibited significantly higher acrylamide concentrations, reaching 3718 μg/kg—4.4 times higher than wheat. The structural integrity of the seeds played a crucial role in acrylamide formation, with smaller particle sizes promoting its development. Except for amaranth, acrylamide levels in the tested seeds exceeded the European benchmark values (150–300 μg/kg) for conventional wheat- and rye-based products. However, it is important to recognize that real-world bakery formulations include additional ingredients that help reduce acrylamide levels in the final product. These findings emphasize the importance of considering both nutritional benefits and food safety when developing novel cereal-based products.

Project PID2022-137697NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”.

Peer reviewed