Variations in acrylamide content of homemade biscuits with the addition of chia (ground seeds and flour)

Acrylamide (AA) is a potentially carcinogenic and neurotoxic chemical that can form in certain type of food (e.g. starchy food, coffee) cooked at high temperatures. Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) are a novel food ingredient with potential health benefits due to their rich content of fibre, protein, and phenolic compounds, and their use is increasing in traditional recipes. In low humidity foodstuffs, only the whole chia seeds are authorized; the use of partially defatted chia seed flour is allowed in bread, cakes or pasta products (Regulation (EU) 2023/2214). This study examined the impact of incorporating chia (ground seeds or defatted flour) into homemade biscuit recipes, which typically have low humidity (< 10 %), on AA formation. Series of baking experiments were conducted with multiple bakers, using the same recipe while varying ingredients, oven modes, and baking times, biscuit shapes. In total three sets of experiments were performed including 24 batches cooked (control + 10 % chia). The results showed that the addition of 10% chia had no significant effect on AA concentrations, which were consistently found to be low (range between 2.4 and 37 µg kg-1) and well below the benchmark level of 350 µg kg-1. However, when differences in AA concentrations were observed, the main factors involved were moisture (range from 4.3 to 9.7 %), pH (range from 6.8 to 7.6) and physical parameters (biscuit diameter (range from 3.2 to 5 cm), thickness (range from 0.68 to 1.16 cm) and mass (range from 4.3 to 11.2 g)). Moreover, additional processing conditions were tested, such as oven mode and baking time, and were found to mainly influence AA formation highlighting the importance of controlling these factors to minimize AA dietary exposure as previously reported in the literature. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the effects of chia seeds on AA formation in homemade baked goods.

EL HADRI Hind;  BLAZEVIC Ivana;  BIANCHI Ivana;  GEISS Otmar;  BARRERO Josefa; 

2025-10-20

ELSEVIER

JRC142153

2590-1575 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590157525010193,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC142153,   

10.1016/j.fochx.2025.103172 (online),