STUDY OF ACRYLAMIDE FORMATION IN BEET CHIPS PROCESSED IN AIR FRYER

The growing search for healthier foods is driving the contemporary food market. Beetroot chips (Beta vulgaris L.) are a consumer option, being rich in natural antioxidants, vitamins and other nutrients. However, the heat treatment applied can favor the non-enzymatic browning process, known as the Maillard Reaction, and promote the formation of considerable concentrations of acrylamide in this product, since beetroot naturally contains precursors of this contaminant (reducing sugars and asparagine). Due to the genotoxic and carcinogenic potential of acrylamide, a more in-depth study of its formation in the product under study is essential. Thus, the objective of the study was to evaluate the formation of acrylamide in beetroot chips produced in an air fryer and to verify the influence of processing time on the concentrations of the contaminant. For this purpose, samples of fresh beetroot were purchased from local stores, cleaned, peeled, sliced ​​and subjected to thermal processing at 200°C for 3, 5 and 7 minutes, in five replicates per treatment. Acrylamide analyses were performed by liquid chromatography coupled to sequential mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), preceded by sample preparation based on rapid extraction by QuEChERS, with additional steps using Carrez solutions (potassium hexacyanoferrate (II) trihydrate 0.68 mol/L and zinc sulfate heptahydrate 2.0 mol/L) and clean-up using primary and secondary amine (PSA). Data were subjected to the Shapiro-Wil normality test and ANOVA. Beetroot chips processed for 3 minutes showed an average acrylamide concentration of 17.76 ± 1.5 µg/kg, while processing for 5 and 7 minutes resulted in average concentrations of 266.30 ± 19.65 µg/kg and 329.80 ± 25.31 µg/kg, respectively. The results show that there is a direct correlation between processing time and acrylamide formation, with higher levels being observed after 5 minutes, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between all times analyzed. Thus, it is noted that the presence of acrylamide in beetroot chips is relevant, demonstrating that processing time directly influences the quantification of the contaminant. Therefore, studies on the kinetics of acrylamide formation in foods are important for a better understanding of the occurrence of this contaminant in the diet and for defining control measures that aim to protect consumer health.