Analysis of acrylamide irradiation degradation effects and products in the starch mechanism

Acrylamide (AA), a neurotoxic and potentially carcinogenic compound, forms in starch-rich foods during high-temperature processing, raising significant food safety concerns. Effective AA mitigation strategies are essential. Among degradation methods, irradiation is a promising food processing technology that reduces harmful contaminants without compromising food quality. To investigate the effect of irradiation on AA degradation and explore potential degradation mechanisms, this study first established a liquid chromatography-based detection method to detect AA in starch matrices. Starch matrices containing AA were irradiated with 60 Co-γ rays, and the effects of irradiation dose, initial concentration, and moisture content on degradation efficiency were analyzed. Furthermore, high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was employed to identify degradation products and elucidate their formation pathways. Results demonstrated that liquid chromatography effectively detected AA in starch matrices. At an initial AA concentration of 1 000 mg/kg and 60% moisture content, a 2 kGy irradiation dose achieved a 99.12% degradation rate. Total ion chromatogram analysis identified 17 degradation compounds, with five key products primarily formed through graft polymerization reactions between AA and glucose in the starch matrix. In conclusion, optimized 60 Co-γ irradiation effectively degrades AA in starch-based food matrices while generating specific degradation products. These findings offer valuable insights into applying irradiation technology to reduce AA, providing an important reference for enhancing food safety control strategies.