Degradation Profiles of Acrylamide Formations in Extruded Cereal Snacks Using Cold Plasma Post-Treatments

Advances in Food Science and Technology | Vol. 14, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 037–042

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AFST/000246

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Degradation Profiles of Acrylamide Formations in Extruded Cereal Snacks Using Cold Plasma Post-Treatments

Names of Authors: Siddharth Mehta¹, Amara Okafor²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Food Processing Technology, Institute of Tech Engineering, Mumbai, India; ²Department of Food Technology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

Abstract: Abstract: High-temperature short-time extrusion processing of starchy grain formulations often yields elevated accumulations of toxic acrylamide through localized Maillard reactions. This research introduces a non-thermal mitigation strategy utilizing atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) cold plasma post-treatments to degrade acrylamide deposits on extruded cereal surfaces. Prepared corn-wheat snack samples were exposed to variable operating voltages (40 kV to 80 kV) under gaseous combinations of argon and oxygen for processing durations up to 5 min. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was used to monitor pesticide residue profiles and toxin levels across treating cycles. The kinetic evaluations show that a 60 kV cold plasma exposure for 3 min achieved an acrylamide breakdown rate of 44.5 ± 1.8% compared to control samples. Spectrophotometric surface evaluations confirmed that the treatment did not alter the macro-structural brightness indexes or expand crumb deformation metrics. This surface remediation tool presents an automated option to satisfy safety regulations within high-volume snack manufacturing chains.

Keywords: Acrylamide Degradation, Cold Plasma, Extruded Snacks, Food Contaminants, Dielectric Barrier Discharge, Food Safety

Manuscript Timeline: Received: March 20, 2026; Revised: May 28, 2026; Accepted: July 05, 2026; Published: August 04, 2026

Citation: Mehta, S., & Okafor, A. (2026). Degradation Profiles of Acrylamide Formations in Extruded Cereal Snacks Using Cold Plasma Post-Treatments. Advances in Food Science and Technology, 14(8), 037–042. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AFST/000246

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