Producing 'low acrylamide risk' potatoes

丙烯酰胺是一种被认为可能致癌的化学物质，它会影响神经和生殖系统。因此，2002年发现它存在于许多熟食中，这对科学界、食品工业和监管当局来说是相当震惊的。当人们发现丙烯酰胺的形成不是由于添加剂的存在，也不是由于农业或食品加工方法的变化（这种变化是可以轻易逆转的），而是由于在油炸、烘烤和烘烤等基本烹饪过程中达到的高温下自然产生的物质的反应时，这种不安就更加加剧了。自第一次发现以来，任何自满情绪都被两项将食用“高丙烯酰胺”食物与人类癌症联系起来的研究成果抛在一边。从土豆中提取的食物有特别高的丙烯酰胺风险。丙烯酰胺形成的主要途径是一种叫做天冬酰胺的氨基酸在糖的存在下分解。这是美拉德反应的一部分，在食物烹饪过程中发生，也负责产生味道和颜色。这就限制了食品加工商处理这一问题的能力，尽管已经取得了一些进展，但油炸土豆、薯片和其他以土豆为原料的零食中丙烯酰胺的含量通常仍然是十亿分之几百（ppb）。虽然目前还没有对食品设定限制，但世界各地的监管机构都表示，他们希望看到丙烯酰胺的饮食摄入量减少。降低食品中丙烯酰胺含量的方法包括减少烹饪时间和温度，以及使加工条件更酸。然而，这些方法已经达到了所能达到的极限。使用天冬酰胺酶可以降低某些加工食品中的丙烯酰胺含量，但对诸如切片和薯片等食品无效，不适合在家中使用。另一种选择是生产糖和天冬酰胺含量较低的原材料。这就是这个项目的目的，专注于马铃薯。战略目标是生产出能够保留足够的糖和氨基酸以产生颜色和风味化合物的土豆，同时减少丙烯酰胺的产生。该项目将涉及来自洛桑研究所、雷丁大学和苏格兰作物研究所的研究人员，以及马铃薯生产、加工和销售的主要公司。产出将包括调节土豆中天冬酰胺和糖积累机制的先进知识，确定导致品种之间差异的重要基因，以及使用基因改造的“概念证明”。该项目将为植物育种者在育种计划中使用的新工具，并将使人们能够更好地了解植物营养对丙烯酰胺风险的影响。

Acrylamide is a chemical that is considered to be probably carcinogenic (cancer causing) and which affects the nervous and reproductive systems. The discovery in 2002 that it is present in many cooked foods was, therefore, quite a shock for the science community, the food industry and regulatory authorities. The disquiet was compounded when it became clear that acrylamide is formed not as a result of the presence of an additive or a change in agricultural or food processing methods that could be readily reversed, but from naturally-occurring substances reacting at the high temperatures achieved during the basic cooking processes of frying, baking and roasting. Any complacency that had built up since that first discovery has just been swept aside by the publication of two studies linking the eating of 'high-acrylamide' foods with cancer in humans. Foods derived from potatoes have a particularly high acrylamide risk. The major route for acrylamide formation is the breakdown of an amino acid called asparagine in the presence of sugars. This is part of the Maillard reaction, which occurs during the cooking of food and is also responsible for the production of flavour and colour. This puts a constraint on what food processors can do to deal with the problem and, despite the fact that some progress has been made, the levels of acrylamide in foods such as French-fried potatoes, crisps and other potato-based snacks are still commonly several hundred parts per billion (ppb). While no limit has yet been set for food, regulatory authorities around the world have stated that they wish to see dietary intake of acrylamide reduced. Methods for lowering acrylamide in foods include reducing cooking times and temperatures and making the processing conditions more acidic. However, these methods are reaching the limit of what can be achieved. The use of asparaginase reduces acrylamide levels in certain processed foods but it is ineffective in, for example, sliced and chipped potatoes and is unsuitable for use in the home. An alternative is to produce raw materials with reduced levels of sugars and asparagine. This is the aim of this project, focusing on potato. The strategic target is to produce potatoes that retain sufficient sugars and amino acids for the generation of colour and flavour compounds but which produce less acrylamide. The project will involve researchers from Rothamsted Research, the University of Reading and Scottish Crops Research Institute, and key companies in potato production, processing and marketing. Outputs will include advanced knowledge of the mechanisms regulating asparagine and sugar accumulation in potatoes, the identification of important genes that are responsible for the differences between varieties and 'proof of concept' using genetic modification. The project will generate new tools for plant breeders to use in breeding programmes and will enable a better understanding of the effects of plant nutrition on acrylamide risk.