Zhiguo Zhang¹, Weicheng Wu^1,, Chengcheng Zhang¹, Longjun Li², Weiwei Hu¹, Yang Guo¹, Guoquan Lu³

Bakery foods are the main sources of dietary exposure of acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). Applicable and convenient strategies for mitigation the formation of these neo-contaminants are in great demand. To better understand the potential of combined mitigating strategies on acrylamide, 5-HMF, and browning formation, three additives (sodium bicarbonate [SBC], sodium metabisulfite [SMBS], and citric acid [CA]) were optimized using a Box-Behnken design, and their effects as well as the resulting sensory properties were evaluated. SBC significantly mitigated acrylamide and 5-HMF generation (P < 0.05), and also increased total color changes (ΔE) (P < 0.05), while CA exerted an opposite effect as it promoted the formation of acrylamide and 5-HMF but decreased ΔE (P < 0.05). SMBS limited the formation of acrylamide and ΔE (P < 0.05). In addition, SBC and SMBS reduced acrylamide formation synergistically, and SMBS was the primary factor in decreased browning intensity. Interestingly, SBC inhibited 5-HMF formation via an improved pH value, whereas its inhibition on acrylamide formation were not obstructed by its effect of raising pH. With optimized levels of SBC (1.64%), SMBS (0.11%) and CA (0.50%), the concentrations of acrylamide and 5-HMF in cracker samples were 91.27 ± 11.26 μg/kg and 15.58 ± 0.35 mg/kg respectively, demonstrating 97.60% and 62.72% inhibition rates. Cracker samples with ΔE (4.41 ± 0.11) showed the desirable bright yellow color. This study presents a concrete example of how the control and optimization of selected operative parameters may mitigate multiple specific natural/process contaminants in final food products, while preserving a satisfactory sensorial range.

acrylamide, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, total color changes, sodium bicarbonate, sodium metabisulfite, citric acid