The determination of acrylamide content in brewed coffee samples marketed in Turkey

ABSTRACT Coffee is a beverage that is widely enjoyed and consumed by all segments of society. As well as having a rich content, it contains acrylamide, defined as ‘a probable carcinogen for humans’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The aim of this study was both to determine the acrylamide levels of ready-to-drink coffees from various coffee brands marketed in Turkey and to offer a resource for risk assessment and acrylamide exposure studies in this area. For this purpose, a total of 41 coffee samples (22 instant coffee, 7 traditional Turkish coffee and 12 ready-to-drink (brewed) coffee) obtained from local markets and coffee shops were analysed in terms of acrylamide content. LC-MS/MS was used to detect the acrylamide content in the samples. The levels of acrylamide ranged from 16.5 to 79.5 ng mL−1 in instant coffees, from 5.9 to 38.8 ng mL−1 in ready-to-drink (brewed) coffees and from 5.3–54.8 ng mL−1 in Turkish coffee and other traditional coffees. The study showed that instant coffee includes the highest level of acrylamide among the other types. In addition, it was found that terebinth coffee, a form of traditional Turkish coffee, had a high content of acrylamide.