Renaissance Ingredients’ has filed a provisional application for the patent of its non-GMO acrylamide-reducing (AR) baker’s yeast.
The application protects the company’s work over the last two years in developing baker’s yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that reduces acrylamide by up to 95 per cent in a variety of food products by degrading the precursor compound asparagine.
Acrylamide is a World Health Organization Group IIA carcinogen that has been shown to be mutagenic and neurotoxic in a variety of laboratory animal studies. In 2002, acrylamide was identified in a range of common foods including bread, toast, potato chips, fries, cereals, and coffee. Acrylamide is not added to foods, but forms naturally from the amino acid asparagine when foods are heated above 120 °C (e.g. baking, roasting, or frying). The European Food Safety Association (EFSA) recently announced its latest risk assessment on the continuing widespread presence of acrylamide in these various foods. This report is one of many issued by food regulatory and health agencies worldwide, including the US FDA, Health Canada, and others.
“Our AR yeast is an important step towards solving the global health concerns posed by dietary acrylamide,” said Renaissance Ingredients President Dr. Matthew Dahabieh. “Our testing, both in-house and with commercial partners, demonstrates that AR yeast reduces acrylamide by up to 95 per cent in a variety of foods.”
AR yeast applications: baked goods, potato products, snack foods, and coffee
Renaissance Ingredients’ AR yeast strains are traditional baker’s yeast with an accelerated natural ability to consume asparagine, thereby reducing acrylamide. AR yeast can replace conventional baker’s yeast with no disruption to the baking process. AR yeast also can be used in foods in which yeast is not normally an ingredient. Renaissance Ingredients has conducted numerous successful studies on the feasibility of using AR yeast in novel ways for foods containing yeast extract, chemically leavened foods, or foods exposed to soaking steps during processing. These foods include potato-based products such as potato chips and French fries, savoury snack foods, cereal products, and coffee.