PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Reducing acrylamide levels in french fries

2012-09-26
(Press-News.org) The process for preparing frozen, par-fried potato strips — distributed to some food outlets for making french fries — can influence the formation of acrylamide in the fries that people eat, a new study has found. Published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the study identifies potential ways of reducing levels of acrylamide, which the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer regard as a "probable human carcinogen."

Acrylamide forms naturally during the cooking of many food products. Donald S. Mottram and colleagues explain that while acrylamide formation in fried potato products is inevitable, this research aims to better understand the chemistry involved, and to use computer models to determine how to minimize acrylamide levels in practice. The special feature of this approach is that, for the first time, it has been possible to link changes in natural potato components (glucose, fructose, amino acids, moisture) occurring during preparation and cooking with the extent of acrylamide formation. Such a rigorous approach has only been possible through collaboration between the food industry and food chemists from different disciplines.

The commercial process (which includes potato selection and sorting, cutting, blanching, sugar augmentation, drying, frying and freezing), in combination with final cooking, generates the color, texture and flavor that consumers expect in french fries. This model facilitates evaluation of various processing and final cooking parameters to develop products with lower acrylamide. Additionally, the authors confirm previous reports, which found that minimizing the ratio of fructose to glucose in cut potato strips can reduce the amount of acrylamide that ends up in the french fries.

### The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Preserving large females could prevent overfishing of Atlantic cod

2012-09-26
Cod are among Sweden's most common and most popular edible fish and have been fished hard for many years. One consequence is the risk of serious changes in cod stocks, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. In overfished areas, there is often a shortage of large and old cod, and the fish become sexually mature at a younger age. Researchers have feared that this change may have impacted on the fish's health, physiological ageing and reproductive capacity. In a recently published study, a research group from the University of Gothenburg working with ...

Date palm juice: A potential new 'green' anti-corrosion agent for aerospace industry

2012-09-26
The search for a "greener" way to prevent corrosion on the kind of aluminum used in jetliners, cars and other products has led scientists to an unlikely source, according to a report in ACS' journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. It's the juice of the date palm — those tall, majestic trees that, until now, were noted mainly as sources of food and traditional medicines. Husnu Gerengi points out that strong, lightweight aluminum alloys are used to make planes, cars and industrial equipment. Aluminum corrodes when exposed to air, but unlike rusting steel, the ...

Study looks at risk factors for HIV in US Navy and Marines during 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

2012-09-26
Philadelphia, Pa. (September 26, 2012) – Same-sex partners and inconsistent condom use were among the major risk factors for HIV infection among U.S. Navy and Marines personnel during the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) era, reports a study in the October 1 issue of JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. "[M]ale-to-male sexual contact was a much more common mode of infection than previously reported," reports the new study, led by Shilpa Hakre, DrPH, MPH, of the ...

Researchers develop blood test that accurately detects early stages of lung, breast cancer in humans

2012-09-26
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Researchers at Kansas State University have developed a simple blood test that can accurately detect the beginning stages of cancer. In less than an hour, the test can detect breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer -- the most common type of lung cancer -- before symptoms like coughing and weight loss start. The researchers anticipate testing for the early stages of pancreatic cancer shortly. The test was developed by Stefan Bossmann, professor of chemistry, and Deryl Troyer, professor of anatomy and physiology. Both are also researchers affiliated ...

A birth control pill for men? When?

2012-09-26
When will men have their own birth control pill? Scientists have been predicting the debut of a male pill within 5 years for the last 30 years. The factors accounting for that delay — and new optimism that a male pill will emerge within a decade — are the topic of a story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. In the story, Michael M. Torrice, C&EN associate editor, describes the need for a male version of the oral contraceptive pill that revolutionized ...

Loss of species makes nature more sensitive to climate change

2012-09-26
High biodiversity acts as an insurance policy for nature and society alike as it increases the likelihood that at least some species will be sufficiently resilient to sustain important functions such as water purification and crop pollination in a changing environment. "It's the same principle as an investment portfolio – you'd be mad to put all your eggs in one basket," says researcher Johan Eklöf. Experiments with eelgrass meadows in shallow inlets on the west coast of Sweden are now showing that climate change can exacerbate the negative effects of losing sensitive ...

Geometry plays a role in GPCR transmembrane signaling

Geometry plays a role in GPCR transmembrane signaling
2012-09-26
A recent study in The Journal of General Physiology characterizes the movement of rhodopsin, a GPCR and member of a large family of transmembrane receptors responsible for many cellular responses and involved in many human diseases. In living Xenopus rod photoreceptor cells, rhodopsin is found in stacks of disc membranes that are difficult to study due to their small size. Now, Peter Calvert (SUNY Upstate Medical University) and colleagues have developed an approach with two-photon microscopy that, for the first time, allows direct examination within the living cell ...

University of Kentucky research sheds light on pain pill abuse

2012-09-26
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 26, 2012) — A study by a team of University of Kentucky researchers has shed new light on the potential habit-forming properties of the popular pain medication tramadol, in research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The paper is slated to appear in an upcoming edition of the academic journal Psychopharmacology. Prescription pain killer abuse is a major public health problem in the U.S. In 2010, more individuals over the age of 12 reported nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers in the past month than use of cocaine, methamphetamine ...

New insights into functionality of cystic fibrosis protein

New insights into functionality of cystic fibrosis protein
2012-09-26
CFTR is an important protein that, when mutated, causes the life-threatening genetic disease cystic fibrosis. A study in The Journal of General Physiology (JGP) details how an accidental discovery has provided new understanding about CFTR functionality. From a scientific standpoint, CFTR is unique in that it is the only known ion channel—a protein pore that enables the passive diffusion of ions across cell membranes—in the enormous superfamily of ABC proteins, which normally operate as active transporters. As active transporters, ABC proteins use energy derived from ...

Paper: Federal law needed to safeguard 'digital afterlives'

Paper: Federal law needed to safeguard digital afterlives
2012-09-26
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Federal law ought to play a stronger role in regulating social networking sites by allowing users to determine what happens to their "digital afterlives," says a recently published paper by a University of Illinois expert in intellectual property law. Allowing social networking sites to set their own policies regarding the content associated with the accounts of deceased users does not adequately protect individual and collective interests, especially with people spending an increasing part of their lives online using social networking sites, says Jason ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Being physically active, even just a couple of days a week, may be key to better health

High-fat diet promote breast cancer metastasis in animal models

A router for photons

Nurses and AI collaborate to save lives, reduce hospital stays

Multi-resistance in bacteria predicted by AI model

Tinker Tots: A citizen science project to explore ethical dilemmas in embryo selection

Sensing sickness

Cost to build multifamily housing in California more than twice as high as in Texas

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

[Press-News.org] Reducing acrylamide levels in french fries