Quality characteristics and levels of acrylamide in commercial French fries consumed in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Studies in Kenya have shown that French fries are relied on as a convenient meal by many people across the ages, and recent reports indicate that fried potato products including French fries contain high levels of acrylamide (AA), a probable human carcinogen and neurotoxic substance. The current study was carried out to determine the quality characteristics including moisture content, oil content, color and levels of acrylamide, of French fries consumed in Nairobi. A total of 100 samples were purchased from high, middle and lower-end restaurants/fast-food outlets and each was assessed for these quality parameters. The oil content of French fries ranged from 12.14 % to 27.74 % while the moisture content of the samples ranged from 33.92 % to 63.67%. Acrylamide levels ranged from non-detectable (ND) to 2308.85 μg/kg, with a mean of 338.99 μg/kg. The average acrylamide levels of samples obtained from the high-end outlets (hotels) was 136.15μg/kg being significantly (p<0.05) lower than those obtained from the middle (cafeterias) and low (street) outlets which were 412.0μg/kg and 354.18μg/kg, respectively. There were weak correlations between acrylamide and moisture contents (r= 0.047), and between the compound and the lightness parameters (r=0.090) of the French fries. No relationship was found to exist between acrylamide and the other quality parameters of redness and yellowness. There is need to educate processors on measures which can be taken to reduce the acrylamide levels in the products, given the health risks associated with the compound. The oil contents of the products from some processors also need to be reduced to the current statutory maximum levels of 20%. Regular monitoring and exposure assessments by regulatory agencies would be instrumental in determining the efficacy of the measures put in place.