Acrylamide formation from asparagine under low moisture Maillard reaction conditions. 2. Crystalline vs amorphous model systems.

The formation of acrylamide was investigated in model systems based on asparagine and glucose under low moisture Maillard reaction conditions as a function of reaction temperature, time, physical state, water activity, and glass transition temperature. Equimolar amorphous glucose/asparagine systems with different water activities were prepared by freeze drying and were shown to quickly move to the rubbery state already at room temperature and a water activity of above 0.15. The acrylamide amounts were correlated with physical changes occurring during the reaction. Pyrolysis and kinetics of acrylamide release in amorphous and crystalline glucose/asparagine models indicated the importance of the physical state in acrylamide formation. In amorphous systems, acrylamide was generated in higher concentrations and at lower temperatures as compared to the crystalline samples. Time and temperature are covariant parameters in both systems affecting the acrylamide formation by thermal processes. On the other side, the water activity and glass transition temperature do not seem to be critical parameters for acrylamide formation in the systems studied.