Determination of Acrylamide in Coffee, Cereals, Baby Food, Cocoa, Dry Pet Food, Potato Products, Vegetable Crisps, Biscuits, Tea, Nuts, and Spices by LC-MS/MS in a Single-Laboratory Validation: First Action 2023.01.

This article focuses on the development and single-laboratory validation of a quantitative LC-MS/MS method for determining acrylamide (AA)—a probable human carcinogen formed during high-temperature cooking—in a wide range of food matrices. The method, approved as AOAC Official First Action 2023.01, extends the scope of the EN 16618:2015 standard by simplifying sample preparation, improving chromatographic selectivity to avoid interferences, and covering diverse foods including coffee, cereals, baby food, cocoa, pet food, potato products, vegetable crisps, biscuits, tea, nuts, and spices. Validation across 16 samples from nine matrix categories demonstrated satisfactory recovery (97–108%), precision (relative standard deviations ≤12%), and limits of quantification well below regulatory benchmarks, meeting the Standard Method Performance Requirement (SMPR®) 2022.006 criteria. The method supports regulatory monitoring efforts in Europe, the U.S., and Asia by enabling reliable, sensitive, and broad-spectrum acrylamide analysis in food products.