LC-MS/MS determination of acrylamide in instant noodles from supermarkets in the Hebei province of China

Acrylamide (AA) concentrations in instant noodles (90 samples, covering 10 different brands) from Hebei Province of China were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The instant noodles were sampled from the southern and northern areas of Hebei Province (Shijiazhuang and Tangshan, respectively). The average content of AA for all 10 instant noodle brands was 6-145 mu g/kg. The average content of AA in fried instant noodles was 4.47 times of those in non-fried ones, indicating the influence of the frying process. The average content of AA in instant noodles from Shijiazhuang was 1.64 times that of the samples from Tangshan (56 mu g/kg). Eighty-four percent of the instant noodle samples in Hebei were contaminated with AA, with an average content of 80 mu g/kg. These observations will be helpful for evaluating individual exposure to AA from instant noodles in China.