Comparative study of the use of sarcosine, proline and glycine as acrylamide inhibitors in ripe olive processing

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effect on acrylamide (AA) formation and the impact on sensory characteristics in ripe olives of three selected amino acids (sarcosine, proline and glycine), which previously showed high AA inhibition rates in an olive model system. Each amino acid was separately added to packing solutions to give 100 or 200 mM at equilibrium, prior to a sterilisation treatment at 121°C. The results showed that sarcosine at 100 mM may be a good candidate for reducing the AA content in ripe olives with a limited effect on sensory characteristics. Studies with a model solution of AA and sarcosine heated at 121°C for 30 min suggested that the main mechanism for the inhibitory effect of sarcosine on AA formation was the Michael reaction.