The effectiveness of different compounds in the generation of acrylamide (AA) from asparagine, was determined by reacting asparagine with mono-, di- and polysaccharides, as well as four different oxo-compounds known to be involved in carbohydrate metabolism/degradation. Quantitation of AA formed either under aqueous conditions or in low water model systems revealed glucose and 2-oxopropionic acid as the most effective compounds in AA generation, when reacted in model systems with a low water content (about 1 mol-% yield). Interestingly, heating of asparagine in the presence of 2-oxopropionic acid generated quite high amounts of 3-aminopropionamide (3-APA), which itself effectively generated AA upon heating in aqueous solution, as well as in low water systems. Because this is the first report on amounts of 3-APA generated by Maillard-type reactions, the general role of 3-APA as key intermediate in AA formation is discussed in detail. In addition, first results on the development and application of an HPLC/fluorescence method for AA quantitation are presented.