Acrylamide in sugar products

Sugar (sucrose) is a naturally occurring carbohydrate that produces a sweet taste, being found in every fruit, vegetable and even nuts. Sugar cane and sugar beet are the main plants from which the greatest amount of sugar is obtained through the application of several processes, including harvesting, clarification, evaporation–concentration, and a centrifugation stage that can be included or not. In the evaporation–concentration stage, a series of complex chemical reactions take place, such as caramelization and the Maillard reaction, which generate the desirable color and aroma, but may be also associated with the formation of potentially toxic compounds such as acrylamide, a chemical contaminant that has been shown to produce neurotoxic and potentially carcinogenic and genotoxic effects. This review aims to present the main advances in relation to the occurrence, formation, influence of processing, mitigation, and exposure of acrylamide in sugars products.