Trends in acrylamide content in selected potato/sweet potato products on the Canadian market.

Processed plant-based foods, particularly high carbohydrate-containing foods, are among the greatest contributors to dietary acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen, uptake. Between 2009 and 2020, five surveys were conducted to determine acrylamide in high carbohydrate-containing foods in Canada. These surveys included sampling of potato and sweet potato chips, French fries, and frozen potato/sweet potato products, as a follow-up to our earlier surveys from 2002 - 2008. Samples were analyzed using isotope dilution (C-acrylamide) with LC-MS/MS. The highest mean acrylamide levels were found in sweet potato chips. Among potato chips (57 to 4660 ng g), one brand consistently showed the highest concentrations with wide variability. Acrylamide concentrations decreased over time in ready-to-eat French fries (from 480 to 358 ng g), and one brand showed a clear reduction temporally. Wide variations were observed among brands, among lots/outlets of same brands, and among different food chains. Acrylamide levels in potato chips decreased between 2009 and 2016 (504.3 ng g) relative to the period 2002 - 2008 (1096.9 ng g). The acrylamide trends observed in the products measured in the latest study indicate that food producers may have adopted mitigation strategies.