Investigation of acrylamide in curries made from coconut milk

Acrylamide in Thai curry cooked in coconut milk was investigated using ion trap LC-ESI-MS/MS. The transitions of m/z 72 > 55 and 86 > 58 were monitored in multiple reaction monitoring mode for identification and quantification. A linear response was found for the acrylamide standard in the range of 400–30,000 pg, with correlation coefficients (r) greater than 0.99. The limit of detection (s/n = 3) and limit of quantification (s/n = 9) were 400 and 1200 pg, respectively. Sample preparation was performed by means of solvent extraction, giving recovery of 92–108% with relative standard deviation less than 10%. Thirty Thai curry samples were analyzed and found acrylamide at concentration in the range of less than 60–606 ng/g dry weight. Acrylamide was formed in solely heated coconut milk at 121 °C. Changes in 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfuraldehyde, fructose, glucose and glutamic acid contents in coconut milk during heat treatment were observed as progress parameters for the Maillard reaction. Moreover, acrylamide was determined in equimolar model system of glutamic acid with glucose or fructose (1 mM), and yielded acrylamide, approximately 0.1% and 0.06% (w/w), respectively.