The Maillard reaction is arguably the world’s most beloved chemical process. Cooks learned long ago that raw, unappetizing ingredients such as potatoes and grains can be turned into toasty treats with the addition of heat and a bit of time.

Chemists know our enjoyment is due to the magic that happens when amino acids meet sugars to produce mouthwatering organic compounds such as pyrazines, pyrroles, and furanones.

But in 2002 the food world learned that this browning reaction has a dark side. It turns out that one of those Maillard products is acrylamide, a chemical long known to cause cancer in animal studies. In humans, it is considered likely to be carcinogenic and has been identified as a cancer-causing agent in tobacco smoke.

Acrylamide is used industrially to make polyacrylamides–water-soluble thickeners widely used in grouts and water treatment facilities. Because of acrylamide’s human health effects, regulators including the US Environmental Protection Agency have set very low limits for exposure in drinking water, similar to the levels for benzene.

The discovery of acrylamide in foods like crackers, cookies, potato chips, and french fries rattled food makers and health regulators around the world. Scientists learned that acrylamide is formed from the reaction of the amino acid asparagine with reducing sugars like fructose. But hundreds of variables—how crops are grown, cooking times, and even the type of leavening agent used—can affect the amount of acrylamide in a given food.

It is not possible to have the foods we enjoy while completely eliminating acrylamide, so reduction is the name of the game, experts tell C&EN. Moreover, no single approach will reduce acrylamide in all product types and manufacturing methods, say guidelines published by the trade group FoodDrinkEurope.

Ingredient suppliers have been working in their own labs and with customers to develop both customized and off-the-shelf solutions. Novozymes, Kerry, and DSM have products based on the enzyme asparaginase and say they are now popular tools to reduce acrylamide. When added to uncooked foods, the enzyme converts asparagine to the amino acid aspartic acid, preventing it from forming acrylamide.
Such products may look more appealing to food manufacturers now that new European Union voluntary targets are in effect. Under those guidelines, companies have to prove their foods’ acrylamide levels are as low as reasonably achievable, a principle known by the acronym ALARA. In California, activist groups commonly sue brands and retailers, claiming acrylamide levels in common products violate labeling requirements under the state’s Proposition 65.
“I would put acrylamide at the top of the list of priority chemicals for the food industry,” says Gina Reo, president of Quality Assurance Strategies, a food and beverage consulting firm. She says acrylamide is the leading chemical subject to Proposition 65 lawsuits against food companies and retailers. “Especially in the baking industry it is very problematic.”