Study on formation of acrylamide under low-moisture asparagine–sugar reaction system

The formation of acrylamide under three asparagine–sugar low-moisture systems were analyzed by the response surface methodology (RSM) and orthogonal array methodology (OAM) in the present work. The acrylamide content was quantified by a novel validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS). Results of RSM study showed that in the asparagine–glucose system, the acrylamide content achieved a maximum level (442.7 μmol/mol Asn) when the system was heated 18 min at about 199 °C; in the asparagine–fructose system, the acrylamide content increases in the combined condition of higher temperature and shorter heating time (>200 °C, <15 min) or lower temperature and longer heating time (<150 °C, >35 min); in the asparagine–sucrose system, the amount of acrylamide enhanced with the increase of temperature and the decrease of time, but declined with the decrease of temperature and the increase of heating time. The coefficients of determination (R2) of the model indicated that all the three models adequately represented the real relationship among the parameters chosen. OAM study indicated that the molar quantity of asparagine monohydrate became the most important parameter contributing to the formation of acrylamide. Meanwhile, acrylamide was readily formed via heating binary precursors 15 min at 180 °C in the glucose and fructose system while acrylamide was readily generated when the binary precursors were heated 15 min at 210 °C in the sucrose system.