Emerging strategies for acrylamide mitigation in potato-based products: A comprehensive review of technologies and innovations

Acrylamide (AA) is a heat-induced process contaminant formed predominantly via the Maillard reaction between reducing sugars and L-asparagine during high-temperature operations such as frying, baking, and roasting. Although AA is detected across a wide range of thermally processed foods, including cereals, coffee, and bakery products—potato-based products represent a major contributor to dietary exposure due to their inherently high precursor concentrations, intensive thermal processing, and global consumption. The classification of AA as a probable human carcinogen has therefore intensified efforts to develop effective and scalable mitigation strategies. This review critically synthesized the mechanistic determinants of AA formation, highlighting precursor availability, moisture transport, pH modulation, lipid–amino acid interactions, and thermochemical kinetics, with potato systems employed as a representative high-risk model. Conventional mitigation approaches, including optimized frying regimes, blanching, cultivar selection, and storage control, provide measurable reductions in AA but often suffer from limited flexibility, quality compromises, or matrix specificity. Emerging strategies—such as microbial L-asparaginase application, multi-omics–guided crop improvement, nanotechnology-enabled interventions, hyperspectral and spectroscopic sensing, and AI-driven process modeling—offer more precise, adaptive, and data-driven control. Importantly, this review explicitly evaluates the feasibility of translating potato-derived mitigation frameworks to other AA-prone foods. While the core reaction chemistry is conserved, effective cross-food application requires matrix-specific modification of processing parameters, enzyme delivery, moisture management, and predictive models. By clarifying these adaptability pathways, the review positions potato-based research as a transferable platform rather than an isolated case study. Collectively, the findings support the transition toward integrated, data-enabled, and sustainable acrylamide risk management across diverse food categories.