Determination of acrylamide in processed foods by column-switching HPLC with UV detection

A simple and convenient analytical method for the determination of acrylamide in processed foods was established. Acrylamide was extracted with water in an ultrasonic bath. The extract was passed through an OASIS HLB cartridge and the eluate was injected into the HPLC system using a column-switching technique. The HPLC system consisted of two pumps, two 6-port-2-position valves, two columns and a UV detector. At first, the sample solution was chromatographed on an ODS column with a mobile phase of water, then the flow of the mobile phase was switched using a 6-port-2-position valve, and the acrylamide peak fraction was introduced into an aqueous gel permeation column (analytical column). The fraction was chromatographed again on the analytical column with a mobile phase of water, and the eluate was monitored with a UV detector (205 nm). The recoveries of acrylamide from potato chips, fried potato, croquette and instant noodle fortified at levels of 50 to 1,000 mug/kg were 93.1 to 101.5% and the coefficient of variation was 1.5 to 5.2%. The detection limit corresponded to 10 mug/kg in processed foods. Forty-six samples, potato chips (11), fried potato (10), croquette (20) and instant noodle (5), were analyzed by this method. The acrylamide level was 67-4,499 mug/kg for potato chips, 1251,183 mug/kg for fried potato, nd-255 mug/kg for croquette and nd-151 mug/kg for instant noodle.