Agronomic, genetic and biotechnological approaches to lower free asparagine content in cereals: state of the art and perspectives

Acrylamide represents a risk to human health due tο its neurotoxicity and genotoxicity. Acrylamide is formed in a wide range of plant-derived foods during normal high-temperature cooking, and industrial processing at more than 120◦C and low humidity. The main chemical process that causes the formation of acrylamide is the “Maillard cascade reactions”, which involve reducing sugars and free amino acids that are naturally present in many foods. Free asparagine content is the key factor in acrylamide formation in cereal-derived products. Therefore, breeding for low-asparagine varieties could help to minimize acrylamide-associated risks. In this review, we summarize the state of the art about the agronomic, genetic and biotechnological approaches used so far for decreasing free asparagine levels in cereal grain and propose possible strategies that could be exploited in the future to reach this goal.