Quantification of 3-aminopropionamide in cocoa, coffee and cereal products.

摘要

Based on recent results confirming 3-aminopropionamide (3-APA) as a precursor of acrylamide in the absence of other 'catalysts', this compound was quantified in cocoa masses, cocoa beans, coffee and cereal products by LC-MS-MS after derivatization with dansyl chloride. Cocoa masses contained >3000 mug/kg of 3-APA, but significant variations in 3-APA concn. were observed. For the quantification of acrylamide in cocoa and coffee, an improved isolation procedure using charcoal was developed. In various samples of unroasted and roasted cocoa beans, concn. of acrylamide were lower by a factor of >5 than those of 3-APA, but concn. of 3-APA and AA were more closely correlated than were concn. of acrylamide and asparagine. Experiments on authentic cocoa beans from Ghana and Sulawesi indicated that the thermal generation of 3-APA during roasting was much more pronounced than its biochemical formation. By administering fermented cocoa beans with [13C4 15N2]-asparagine before roasting, 3-APA was confirmed as a transient intermediate in acrylamide formation during cocoa roasting. Among the cereal products analysed, popcorn contained particularly high amounts of 3-APA, which were also well correlated with acrylamide concn. However, in coffee products, 3-APA concn. was always lower than that of acrylamide.