Acrylamide in Table Olives

Abstract

Acrylamide is formed in two types of table olives where heat sterilization is applied, namely, in California-style black ripe olives and, to a lesser extent, in California-style green ripe olives. In contrast, acrylamide is not detected in other processing types such as Spanish-style and Greek-style olives, where pasteurization is sufficient for their preservation. This chapter describes the steps for the preparation of black ripe olives, and their influence on acrylamide levels in the final product. Strategies to mitigate acrylamide formation in table olives, including modifications of processing method and the use of additives, are reviewed. Finally, recent research on the identification of precursors of acrylamide in olives is summarized. It is suggested that peptide-bound polyphenols may form acrylamide following sterilization without the involvement of free asparagine and reducing sugars. Since acrylamide was formed from small model peptides at temperatures far exceeding 121 °C, namely from protein-bound alanine adjacent to amino acids carrying a ß-H atom, the contribution of quinones and dialdehydes acting as activating carbonyl components is assumed. Ongoing studies are focused on elucidating the exact formation mechanism of acrylamide in table olives. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved