Sessions

In recent years, growing consumer interest has increased the availability of plant-based meat alternatives, with soy among the most frequently used protein sources. Their composition, industrial processing and consumer preparation may influence chemical safety, but data remain limited.

This study investigated the occurrence of acrylamide, a heat-induced processing contaminant classified as probably carcinogenic to humans, in 13 commercially available soy-based products in Hungary, including tofu, tempeh, textured soy products, burger patties, cold cuts and sausages. All 13 were analysed as purchased, and besides, 11 out of 13 were also air-fried and pan-fried following label guidance where available, with cooking times adjusted to reach light and dark browning endpoints using a visual reference scale. For each product and treatment, portions from five retail units were pooled into one composite sample. Acrylamide concentrations were determined by LC–MS/MS.

Quantifiable mean acrylamide concentrations were obtained for 5 of the 13 products as purchased (5.0–19.2 µg/kg wet weight), while quantifiable concentrations after cooking ranged from 3.5 to 447.1 µg/kg wet weight. Darker cooking endpoints were associated with higher concentrations in all products for which both endpoints were quantifiable, with median dark-to-light ratios of 2.90 for air-frying and 2.32 for pan-frying. The same trend persisted when concentrations were expressed on a dry-matter basis. The light–dark difference was statistically significant for air-frying but not for pan-frying after adjustment for multiple comparisons using the Holm method. Concentrations varied considerably among products. No consistent difference between cooking methods was observed at light browning. At dark browning, air-frying resulted in higher concentrations in eight of the ten comparable products, although the overall difference between methods was not statistically significant.

In the products studied, greater browning was consistently associated with higher acrylamide concentrations, whereas differences between air-frying and pan-frying varied among products. The persistence of the light–dark differences on a dry-matter basis indicates that differences in water content alone do not explain the observed pattern. Broader product sampling and independent cooking replicates are needed to assess how widely these findings apply and to inform cooking guidance aimed at reducing acrylamide concentrations.