This study estimates for the first time dietary acrylamide intake in Chile and conducts exposure risk assessments using the margin of exposure (MOE) method. A consumption frequency survey of starchy foods was carried out in the metropolitan region of Santiago, Chile on people from different socioeconomic levels aged between 12 and 65 years old. The acrylamide contents of the most frequently consumed foods were determined by an in-house validated GC-MS technique. The potatoes and bread group contributed ~77% to the dietary acrylamide exposure in Chile, with estimated daily mean exposure of 0.55 µg kgbw-1 day-1 and 0.22 µg kgbw-1 day-1, respectively. Chilean population aged between 12 and 17 years old presented the highest acrylamide intake (mean, 1.27 µg kgbw-1 day-1; 95th percentile, 3.90 µg kgbw-1 day-1). Finally, since the estimated MOEs were lower than 10,000, the dietary acrylamide exposure in the metropolitan region of Santiago, Chile is of public health concern according to the EFSA criteria.
Keywords: Acrylamide; GC/MS; MOE; dietary exposure; food processing; starchy foods thermally treated.