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Various mitigation technologies reduce acrylamide levels in thermally processed foods through distinct physical and chemical mechanismsNew ways to lower acrylamide levels in cooked foods

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Key Takeaway
Note that acrylamide mitigation effectiveness depends on specific food matrices and the integration of multiple processing steps.

This narrative review evaluates several mitigation technologies, including pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, high-pressure processing, vacuum, alternative heating, cold atmospheric plasma, and plasma-activated water, to reduce acrylamide (AA) in thermally processed foods. The authors synthesize findings on how these technologies influence precursor mobilization, enzyme access, and thermal-moisture history. Specifically, pulsed electric fields and ultrasound may mobilize precursors, while high-pressure processing may improve enzyme access. Vacuum and alternative heating methods are noted to alter thermal exposure and moisture removal.

Regarding cold atmospheric plasma, the evidence is currently limited to specific food types and discharge conditions, while plasma-activated water is not yet established as an effective AA-control operation. For monitoring, LC-MS/MS provides confirmatory quantification, while rapid assays and spectroscopic techniques are suitable for screening.

Several limitations are noted, including the inability to rank technologies across different matrices and processing sequences due to varying reported reduction percentages. Furthermore, the lack of matched comparisons for individual versus combined operations means synergy between treatments cannot be established. The review concludes that acrylamide control is a matrix-specific process-design problem requiring controlled conditions for moisture, color, and texture to accurately evaluate efficacy.

Many of our favorite cooked foods, like fried potatoes or roasted coffee, can contain acrylamide. This is a chemical that forms when certain ingredients are heated at high temperatures. While the link between acrylamide and cancer is not fully proven, there is evidence that it could have other harmful effects on the body. This makes finding ways to reduce it during food production very important.

Researchers are looking at several technologies to lower these levels. For example, ultrasound and pulsed electric fields might help move the building blocks of acrylamide out of the food. High-pressure processing could improve how enzymes work, and methods like vacuum or alternative heating can change how moisture and heat affect the final product.

It is important to note that these results are still being studied. Because different foods react differently to these processes, we cannot say which method is best for every situation yet. Each food type requires a specific design to keep its color and texture while reducing chemical levels. Talk to your doctor or a nutritionist about how to manage your specific dietary needs.

What this means for you:
Different processing methods like ultrasound and high pressure may help reduce acrylamide in cooked foods.

Common questions

What are these mitigation technologies?

Several methods are being studied to lower acrylamide. These include pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, high-pressure processing, vacuum, alternative heating, and cold atmospheric plasma. Each method works differently to change how food reacts to heat and moisture.

How do these methods work to reduce acrylamide?

Different technologies target different parts of the process. Ultrasound and pulsed electric fields may move precursors, while high-pressure processing may improve enzyme access. Vacuum and alternative heating change how moisture and heat affect the food during cooking.

Is it safe to eat these processed foods?

The study focuses on reducing acrylamide, a chemical formed during high-heat cooking. While the link to cancer is not fully proven, there is evidence of other potential risks. These technologies aim to make the food safer by lowering those chemical levels.

Study Details

Study typeSystematic review
EvidenceLevel 1
PublishedOct 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
Acrylamide (AA) forms mainly from free asparagine and reducing sugars during high-temperature food processing. Experimental evidence of AA neurotoxicity and glycidamide-mediated genotoxicity supports mitigation, although the association between dietary AA exposure and human cancer remains inconclusive. This narrative review evaluates how formation mechanisms and matrix-specific constraints should guide AA mitigation and how reported reductions should be verified. The evidence indicates that effectiveness is constrained by precursor accessibility and mass transfer, enzyme–substrate contact, and the thermal–moisture history of the complete process. Pulsed electric fields and ultrasound may mobilize precursors, but lowering their availability requires effective aqueous removal; high-pressure processing may improve enzyme access, while vacuum and alternative heating alter thermal exposure and moisture removal. Direct AA evidence for cold atmospheric plasma remains specific to tested food and discharge conditions, whereas plasma-activated water is not yet established as an AA-control operation. Reported percentage reductions cannot rank technologies across different matrices, processing sequences, and final-product states; likewise, combined-treatment effects do not establish synergy without matched comparisons of individual and combined operations. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry provides confirmatory AA quantification, whereas rapid assays and spectroscopic techniques are better suited to screening and process monitoring. This review therefore frames AA control as a matrix-specific process-design problem in which operations with distinct mechanistic targets are selected and their incremental effects are assessed through direct AA quantification under matched final-product conditions for moisture, color, and texture.
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