Updated monitoring and risk assessment of acrylamide in traditional and emerging snack products in the Italian market

Ready-to-eat chips are susceptible to the formation of acrylamide (AA), a compound with potential health risks, mainly during the Maillard reaction which occurs when sugars and amino acids interact under heat. In this study, 36 samples of vegetable-based ready-to-eat chips from brands of different food matrices (tubers, vegetables, legumes, fruits and cereals) sold in Italy were analyzed. AA concentration was found between < LOQ and up to 730 μg/kg, with potato-based samples containing the highest AA mean content (177 μg/kg), followed by corn (57 μg/kg). No sample exceeded the benchmark level of 750 μg/kg established by EC Regulation 2017/2158. The risk assessment conducted on the Italian population using data from the INRAN SCAI IV study identified a potential health concern for children aged 3–9 years. Specifically, Margin of Exposure (MoE) values below 10,000 (associated with cancer-related effects) were found for the average AA content in potato-based and vegetable mix samples. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in Italy to analyze AA in vegetable-based ready-to-eat chips made from both traditional (potato and corn) and novel (legume, fruit, and vegetable) food matrices, and to assess their associated health risks.