ANALYSIS OF LEVELS OF ACRYLAMIDE IN (SOLANUM TUBEROSUM) POTATO CHIPS AND CRISPS

In the recent past scientists in Britain, Sweden and South Africa have discovered that the process of cooking starchy foods under high temperatures produces acrylamide in those foods. The discovery of acrylamide in some cooked starchy foods in 2002 prompted concerns about the carcinogenicity of those foods. Following this discovery in April 2002 on the presence of acrylamide majorly in carbohydrate rich foods, intensive investigations have been undertaken, involving the analysis, occurrence, chemistry, toxicology and potential health risk of this contaminant in the human diet. Acrylamide has been classified as a Group 2A carcinogen and thus remains a suspected human carcinogen and a neurotoxicant that calls for a concerted effort to minimize its presence in all human diets. Fried products including Potato fries and crisps have been reported to contain high levels of acrylamide, a potential carcinogenic substance of great concern not only to consumers. The study aimed at establishing the levels of acrylamide in Potato fries and crisps sold in the Kenyan market. Samples were analytically prepared before analysis before run in the instrument to determine the moisture content, acrylamide presence, its concentration and colour according to food and drugs administration (FDA) method of analysis using a high Perfomance liquid chromatography and thus raise awareness of its harmfulness to the consumers.