Determination of the Level of Acrylamide in Selected Street-Prepared Fast Food around Jimma University Main Campus, Jimma, Ethiopia

Abstract

Acrylamide is an organic compound formed in French fries, potato crisps, bread, and coffee when fried, roasted, or baked at high temperatures. It is created through the reaction of reducing sugars such as glucose and fructose with amino acids (asparagine). The concentration of acrylamide in processed food products has become a serious health concern. In this study, the concentration of acrylamide in traditional fast foods like Kokori, Sambusa, and potato chips prepared on the streets near Jimma University in Jimma City was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy. Fast food samples were collected from seven sites where consumption and preparation sizes were larger. The detected concentrations ranged from 172.00 ± 8.49 mg/kg to 213.80 ± 7.35 mg/kg for Kokori, 112.80 ± 19.60 mg/kg to 240.50 ± 4.38 mg/kg for Sambusa, and 23.8 ± 2.0 mg/kg to 203.4 ± 9.6 mg/kg for potato chips. Among the fast foods studied, Kokori samples had the highest concentration of acrylamide at 194.93 mg/kg, followed by Sambusa samples at 173.67 mg/kg, and the lowest concentration of 114.67 mg/kg was found in potato chips samples. All three types of fast foods contained acrylamide concentrations significantly exceeding the recommended WHO limit, indicating a health risk to consumers.