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Asparagine content of coffee controls acrylamide formation

Acrylamide is a process contaminant that is undesirable in food.

Acrylamide is formed unintentionally during the Maillard reaction when foods containing both free asparagine and reducing sugars are exposed to temperatures above 120°C during processing or preparation (commercial or domestic), e.g. roasting, frying, baking or deep-frying.

The limiting parent compound for acrylamide in food is the amino acid asparagine. After alanine, asparagine is the main amino acid in green coffee. The asparagine content depends, for example, on the degree of maturity but also on the type of coffee. Robusta coffees, for example, contain more asparagine than Arabica coffees. High asparagine contents lead to higher acrylamide contents, so that an asparagine analysis of the green coffee can provide information about the degree of acrylamide formation to be expected. 

On November 21, 2017, the European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2017/2158, which sets mandatory minimization measures and benchmarks for the reduction of acrylamide for certain foods. For acrylamide in foods as defined in Article 1(1), the following guideline values (benchmarks) apply to coffee products: Roasted coffee (400 µg/kg) and instant coffee (soluble coffee): 850 µg/kg.

As experts in coffee analysis, we offer reliable and efficient methods for the analysis of acrylamide and asparagine in our laboratory based on the LC-MS/MS technique. We would be pleased to advise and support you.