How is acrylamide metabolized?

Acrylamide is metabolized by direct conjugation with glutathione or oxidation to glycidamide, which undergo further metabolism and are excreted in urine.

What is the toxin acrylamide?

Acrylamide (ACR) is a chemical used in many industries around the world and more recently was found to form naturally in foods cooked at high temperatures. Acrylamide was shown to be a neurotoxicant, reproductive toxicant, and carcinogen in animal species.

What amount of acrylamide is toxic?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set an exposure limit of 0.3 milligrams per cubic meter (0.3 mg/m3) for acrylamide in workplace air for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek.

What are the effects of acrylamide?

Nervous system effects such as muscle weakness, numbness in hands and feet, sweating, unsteadiness, and clumsiness were reported in some acrylamide workers. However, most people are not exposed to acrylamide levels high enough to cause these effects.

What is a hemoglobin adduct?

Abstract: Hemoglobin (Hb) adducts have been used as biomarkers for the internal exposure to chemi- cals. Simultaneous exposure to chemicals that bond with the N-terminal valine of Hb to form adducts, such as glycidol, acrylamide, and glucose, may affect the formation of the individual Hb adducts.

What causes acrylamide?

High temperature cooking, such as frying, roasting, or baking, is most likely to cause acrylamide formation. Boiling and steaming do not typically form acrylamide. Acrylamide is found mainly in foods made from plants, such as potato products, grain products, or coffee.

Why is acrylamide toxic?

Studies in rodent models have found that acrylamide exposure increases the risk for several types of cancer (10–13). In the body, acrylamide is converted to a compound called glycidamide , which causes mutations in and damage to DNA.

Where is the toxin acrylamide produced?

Acrylamide is found mainly in foods made from plants, such as potato products, grain products, or coffee. Acrylamide does not form, or forms at lower levels, in dairy, meat, and fish products. Generally, acrylamide is more likely to accumulate when cooking is done for longer periods or at higher temperatures.

How is acrylamide created?

Acrylamide forms from sugars and an amino acid (asparagine) during certain types of high-temperature cooking, such as frying, roasting, and baking.

How is acrylamide formed?

When certain foods are cooked at high temperatures, sugars, such as glucose and fructose, can react with the free amino acid, asparagine, to form acrylamide. Acrylamide forms as part of a chemical reaction, known as the Maillard reaction, which contributes to the aroma, taste, and color of cooked foods.