Potential of vacuum frying on the preparation of carrot crisps and a non-destructive technique for rapid acrylamide detection

This study aimed to assess vacuum frying as a measure to mitigate acrylamide formation in carrot crisps produced under conventional frying conditions. Furthermore, a comprehensive investigation was conducted, with a focus on a digital smartphone-based colourimetry as a rapid and non-destructive method for acrylamide screening. Although acrylamide levels in conventionally fried crisps reached 12,741 μg/kg, significantly exceeding the proposed EU benchmark of 700 μg/kg, vacuum frying reduced acrylamide formation by 83–93%. Besides frying parameters, the moisture content of the raw carrots had the greatest influence on the formation of acrylamide. The red colour channel intensity exhibited strong correlations ( r 2 > 0.95) with the acrylamide content under conventional frying conditions. Conversely, colourimetry method limitations were observed in vacuum-fried crisps, due to limited colour development. The findings support vacuum frying as an effective mitigation strategy and demonstrate the feasibility of digital colourimetry for real-time monitoring of food safety and quality.