EUROPE – Food Drink Europe, the European organisation representing the food and beverages industry has updated its Acrylamide Toolbox in its 15th edition with new scientific and technological developments.

The updated toolbox highlights the organisation’s ‘most complete collection’ of knowledge on acrylamide (AA) formation and mitigation across a variety of foodstuffs.

It identifies commitment undertaken by the union, EU authorities and the food and drink industry to investigate pathways of formation of acrylamide and intervention steps to reduce exposure.

The new Acrylamide Toolbox also incorporates latest developments and knowledge in research and industrial food processing regarding acrylamide levels.

Food Drink Europe has identified some key changes in the updated toolbox including a more thorough distinction of the tools applicable for Potato-Based Snacks and those for French Fries.

It argues that due to different processing and finished product attributes, the same mitigation results cannot be expected for different product categories, thus need for adjustment of the differing attributes.

Coffee and coffee substitutes, mainly based on cereals and chicory have been classified under two different categories to allow for more accurate designation of mitigation measures, according to the updated toolbox.

Also, Methods of Analysis and Sampling has been updated to further consider issues surrounding measurement uncertainty.

The Acrylamide Toolbox now provides guidance to correctly implement Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158.

It has included relevant analysis requirements of the recent Commission Regulation and CEN standardisation work on methods of analysis for Acrylamide in certain foodstuffs.

“Given the wide range of product categories, processes, and factors that are to be considered in raw materials used in food products, the Toolbox can assist individual manufacturers, including SMEs with limited R&D resources, to assess and evaluate which of the intervention steps may be the most helpful,” said Food Drink Europe.

The document displays the continuous work of food and drink manufacturers to generate and adopt the latest innovation to reduce the presence of acrylamide in their products.

Acrylamide forms in foods with reduced sugar which is processed at a high temperature.