{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T10:38:30Z","timestamp":1786358310067,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786320000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004410","name":"Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["124O740"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["124O740"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004410","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Acrylamide is a thermally induced process contaminant formed predominantly through Maillard-type reactions in carbohydrate-rich foods and is considered a major food safety concern due to its potential genotoxic and carcinogenic properties. In the present study, a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe)-based extraction and clean-up procedure followed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA) analysis was developed and optimised for the determination of acrylamide in French fries. Different clean-up strategies involving primary secondary amine (PSA), C18, and salt-assisted extraction systems were comparatively evaluated to improve analytical selectivity and chromatographic performance in complex potato matrices. The optimised procedure demonstrated satisfactory analytical performance and chromatographic selectivity for acrylamide analysis in thermally processed potato matrices, with an LOQ value of 32.3 \u00b5g kg\u22121, recoveries ranging from 79.4 to 86.6%, and relative standard deviation (RSD) values below 8%. The validated method was subsequently applied to investigate the influence of thermal processing conditions on acrylamide formation in frozen French fries processed using sunflower oil, riviera olive oil, and palm oil. Deep-fat frying formed substantially higher acrylamide concentrations (526.7\u2013829.6 \u00b5g kg\u22121) than oven baking (285.5\u2013480.6 \u00b5g kg\u22121) and air frying (272.1\u2013673.6 \u00b5g kg\u22121), whereas repeated frying cycles markedly enhanced acrylamide formation, particularly in sunflower oil systems. The proposed analytical strategy offers a reliable and analytically robust approach for acrylamide determination while providing mechanistic insights into processing-dependent chemical transformations associated with acrylamide formation in potato-based foods.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules31162777","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T10:23:50Z","timestamp":1786357430000},"page":"2777","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Processing-Dependent Acrylamide Formation in French Fries: Optimisation of QuEChERS-Based Extraction and HPLC-PDA Determination"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"31","author":[{"given":"Nimo Hussein","family":"Yussuf","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Edna Adan University, Iftin Road, Hargeisa, Somalia"},{"name":"Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Hitit University, Corum 19030, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5034-1370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eylem","family":"Odabas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Hitit University, Corum 19030, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3138-3257","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fatma Oznur","family":"Afacan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Hamidiye Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul 34668, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7816-6308","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bulent","family":"Kabak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Hitit University, Corum 19030, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (2015). Scientific opinion on acrylamide in food EFSA panel on contaminants in the food chain (CONTAM). EFSA J., 13, 4104.","DOI":"10.2903\/j.efsa.2015.4104"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4998","DOI":"10.1021\/jf020302f","article-title":"Analysis of acrylamide, a carcinogen formed in heated foodstuffs","volume":"50","author":"Tareke","year":"2002","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2841","DOI":"10.1093\/jxb\/ers011","article-title":"The acrylamide problem: A plant and agronomic science issue","volume":"63","author":"Halford","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Exp. Bot."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"448","DOI":"10.1038\/419448a","article-title":"Acrylamide is formed in the Maillard reaction","volume":"419","author":"Mottram","year":"2002","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"262","DOI":"10.1093\/jaoac\/88.1.262","article-title":"Acrylamide formation in food: A mechanistic perspective","volume":"88","author":"Yaylayan","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. AOAC Int."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"320","DOI":"10.31989\/ffhd.v13i6.1126","article-title":"Acrylamide content and quality characteristics of French fries influenced by different frying methods","volume":"13","author":"Ahmed","year":"2023","journal-title":"Funct. Foods Health Dis."},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"19","article-title":"Impact of oil selection and cooking methods on acrylamide levels in different potato products","volume":"71","author":"Adjija","year":"2025","journal-title":"Maced. Pharm. Bull."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.62762\/ASFP.2024.537179","article-title":"Acrylamide in food: Sources and prevention","volume":"2","author":"Zhang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Agric. Sci. Food Process."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112150","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2026.112150","article-title":"Multivariate assessment of acrylamide formation and processing variables in fast-food French fries under real-world frying conditions","volume":"187","author":"Hidayah","year":"2026","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147172","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2025.147172","article-title":"Effect of air frying, oven baking, pan frying, and deep frying on flavor profile and acrylamide formation in reheated hash browns","volume":"498","author":"Shi","year":"2026","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"T\u00f6r\u0151s, G., Alibrahem, W., Kharrat Helu, N., Jevcs\u00e1k, S., Ferroudj, A., and Prokisch, J. (2026). Acrylamide in food: From maillard reaction to public health concern. Toxics, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics14020110"},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) (1994). Some industrial chemicals. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, IARC."},{"key":"#cr-split#-ref_13.1","unstructured":"European Commission (2017). Commission Regulation"},{"key":"#cr-split#-ref_13.2","unstructured":"(EU) 2017\/2158 of 20 November 2017 establishing mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in food. Off. J. Eur. Union, L304, 24-44."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.47068\/ctns.2021.v10i19.013","article-title":"Influence of potato variety and type of oil used in frying potatoes on acrylamide level","volume":"10","author":"Mihai","year":"2021","journal-title":"Curr. Trends Nat. Sci."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15957","DOI":"10.1111\/jfpp.15957","article-title":"Assessment of acrylamide in potato chips and French fries consumed by the Romanian population","volume":"46","author":"Mihai","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Food Process. Preserv."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Negoi\u021b\u0103, M., Mihai, A.L., and Horne\u021b, G.A. (2022). Influence of water, NaCl and citric acid soaking pre-treatments on acrylamide content in French fries prepared in domestic conditions. Foods, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods11091204"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"062033","DOI":"10.1088\/1755-1315\/1262\/6\/062033","article-title":"Influence of multiple deep-frying cycles on the characteristics of corn oil and acrylamide content in French fries","volume":"1262","author":"Ahmed","year":"2023","journal-title":"IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103233","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ifset.2022.103233","article-title":"Comparative evaluation of conventional and advanced frying methods on hydroxymethylfurfural and acrylamide formation in French fries","volume":"83","author":"Verma","year":"2023","journal-title":"Innov. Food Sci. Emerg. Technol."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.1080\/19393210.2023.2283055","article-title":"Acrylamide in potato chips in Iran, health risk assessment and mitigation","volume":"17","author":"Sharafi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Addit. Contam. Part B"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Navruz-Varl\u0131, S., and Morta\u015f, H. (2024). Acrylamide formation in air-fried versus deep and oven-fried potatoes. Front. Nutr., 10.","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2023.1297069"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103833","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bcab.2025.103833","article-title":"Acrylamide formation and mitigation strategies in potato cutlets & French fries derived from cold-stored potatoes","volume":"70","author":"Kumari","year":"2025","journal-title":"Biocatal. Agric. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1736","DOI":"10.1007\/s12161-022-02239-w","article-title":"Formation, mitigation, and detection of acrylamide in foods","volume":"15","author":"Bachir","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Anal. Methods"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pan, M., Liu, K., Yang, J., Hong, L., Xie, X., and Wang, S. (2020). Review of research into the determination of acrylamide in foods. Foods, 9.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods9040524"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109817","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2023.109817","article-title":"Method development and validation for acrylamide in potato cutlet by UHPLC-MS\/MS","volume":"151","author":"Kumari","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102593","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fochx.2025.102593","article-title":"Advancements and obstacles in acrylamide detection and mitigation in food products","volume":"28","author":"Oroian","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Chem. X"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"012010","DOI":"10.1088\/1755-1315\/85\/1\/012010","article-title":"Rapid and reliable QuEChERS-based LC-MS\/MS method for determination of acrylamide in potato chips and roasted coffee","volume":"85","year":"2017","journal-title":"IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106698","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2024.106698","article-title":"Development and method validation for determination of acrylamide in food by modified QuEChERS and UHPLC-MS\/MS analysis","volume":"135","author":"Cossu","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_28","unstructured":"Bratinova, S., and Karasek, L. (2026, May 02). Determination of the Acrylamide Content in Potato Chips: Report on Proficiency Test Organised by the EURL-PAH, Available online: https:\/\/publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu\/repository\/handle\/JRC108473."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5685019","DOI":"10.1155\/ijfo\/5685019","article-title":"Effect of ultrasonic waves and other technological treatments on the reduction of acrylamide and glycoalkaloids in frozen prefried potatoes","volume":"2026","author":"Acha","year":"2026","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_30","first-page":"20","article-title":"Development of an analysis method for acrylamide in processed foods and a survey on the level of acrylamide in processed foods","volume":"31","author":"Nabeshi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Jpn. J. Food Chem. Saf."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2200144","DOI":"10.1002\/ejlt.202200144","article-title":"The impact of fat deterioration on formation of acrylamide in fried foods","volume":"125","author":"Gertz","year":"2023","journal-title":"Eur. J. Lipid Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_32","first-page":"170","article-title":"The variability of acrylamide content in potato French fries depending on the oil used and deep-frying conditions","volume":"17","year":"2023","journal-title":"Potravin. Slovak J. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109771","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2023.109771","article-title":"Evaluation of the effects of intermittent frying in French fries and frying oil on monochloropropanediols, glycidols and acrylamide","volume":"150","author":"Pantalone","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107031","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2024.107031","article-title":"Determination of acrylamide levels in potato crisps and other snacks and exposure risk assessment","volume":"139","author":"Velotto","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e70081","DOI":"10.1111\/1750-3841.70081","article-title":"Evaluation of the effect of enzymatic pretreatment with L-asparaginase on acrylamide formation during microwave, air, and deep frying of potatoes","volume":"90","author":"Esposito","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104177","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jfca.2021.104177","article-title":"The influence of consecutive use of different oil types and frying oil in French fries on the acrylamide level","volume":"104","author":"Turk","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Food Compos. Anal."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3512","DOI":"10.1080\/87559129.2025.2601972","article-title":"A review on food deep-fat frying from the perspective of physicochemistry, nutrition, safety, and consumer preference","volume":"42","author":"Chew","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Rev. Int."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"354","DOI":"10.47068\/ctns.2021.v10i19.046","article-title":"Effect of repeated deep-fat frying of French fries in sunflower and palm oils on the acrylamide content","volume":"10","author":"Mihai","year":"2021","journal-title":"Curr. Trends Nat. Sci."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"44","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2018.03.140","article-title":"Acrylamide content in French fries prepared in households: A pilot study in Spanish homes","volume":"260","author":"Mesias","year":"2018","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"144386","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2025.144386","article-title":"Regulation mechanism of airflow velocity in air fryer on the uniformity of acrylamide formation in potato strips: Water migration and microstructure evolution","volume":"484","author":"Li","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Chem."}],"container-title":["Molecules"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1420-3049\/31\/16\/2777\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T10:24:21Z","timestamp":1786357461000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1420-3049\/31\/16\/2777"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]]},"references-count":41,"journal-issue":{"issue":"16","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["molecules31162777"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/molecules31162777","relation":{},"ISSN":["1420-3049"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1420-3049","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]]}}}