HPLC–MS validation of QualisaFoo Ò biosensor kit for cost-effective control of acrylamide levels in Italian coffee Sagratini Gianni a, * , Fabbri Armando b , Marucci Gabriella a , Ricciutelli Massimo a , Vittori Sauro a , Ammendola Sergio b a Universita ` degli Studi di Camerino, Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, via S. Agostino, 1 62032 Camerino, Italy b Ambiotec sas SS 7 Km 50, 610-04012-Cisterna di Latina (LT), Italy Received 1 February 2006; received in revised form 4 August 2006; accepted 11 August 2006 Abstract Acrylamide is a carcinogenic and mutagenic compound found in many industrially processed foods and beverages, including coffee. The aim of this work is to determine the acrylamide level in some Italian coffees by using a mass spectrometry method and an enzymatic test kit. Comparison of average values in four Italian coffees determined using the two methods permitted us to validate the results obtained with the kit, hence the kit itself, showing that acrylamide is present in low amount. The amount of acrylamide was also determined in other foods, by using the kit. This work shows that there is a correspondence between the two methods and that the kit provides a cost-effective method to determine the amount of acrylamide in food. Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Food; Safety; Acrylamide; Enzymatic test; HPLC–MS analysis; QualisaFoo Ò kit 1. Introduction Acrylamide (2-propenamide) is considered an environ- mental risk factor. It has been shown that prolonged expo- sitions to it produce neurotoxic effects in both animals and humans (Dybing & Sanner, 2003; Le Quesne, 1980). This compound is a highly hydrosoluble substance, the forma- tion of which is mainly the result of Maillard reaction between the amino acid asparagine and reducing sugars (Yarnell, 2002) which may be incidentally taken from foods and beverages. Acrylamide has been labelled by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a probable human carcinogen (IARC, 1994); very recently it has been classified as a carcinogen and mutagen by the European Union (http://ecb.jrc.it/classification-labelling/). It is pres- ent in several industrial products and processes, and can be found in a variety of products (Rothweiler, Kuhn, & Prest, 2004). Recently, researchers from Sweden reported finding acrylamide in certain baked and fried foods such as potato crisps and French fries (Tareke, Rydberg, Karls- son, Eriksson, & To ¨ rnqvist, 2000). Although considerable controversy exists regarding the acrylamide exposure levels relevant to carcinogenicity in humans (Blasiak, Gloc, Wozniak, & Czechowska, 2004; Yagi et al., 2001), the reports on the presence of acrylamide in European food prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to analyze a variety of foods for the presence of acrylamide. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) methods have been used for the detection of acrylamide (Andrzejewski, Roach, Gay, & Musser, 2004; Murkovic, 2004). In addition, liquid chro- matography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) or LC–MS/MS analytical techniques were applied for acrylamide determi- nation in specific food groups or a limited variety of 0956-7135/$ - see front matter Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2006.08.005 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 0737402344; fax: +39 0737637345. E-mail addresses: gianni.sagratini@unicam.it (S. Gianni), sergio.am- mendola@fastwebnet.it (A. Sergio). www.elsevier.com/locate/foodcont Food Control 18 (2007) 1267–1271