Acrylamide, a potential carcinogen is formed when starchy foods are fried or baked above 120°C. L-asparaginase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of the amino acid L-asparagine, the precursor for acrylamide, to L-aspartic acid and ammonia thereby reducing the acrylamide formation in starchy foods. 

Indian Researchers investigated the potential of L-asparaginase purified from Fusarium culmorum (ASP-87) to reduce acrylamide formation in potato chips and sweet bread. The results, published on LWT – Food Science and Technology. (89, 32-37, 2018), revealed that high levels of acrylamide ranging from 690 mug kg^-1 to 4475 mug kg^-1 were detected in the samples collected from local market. The potato chips and sweet bread samples treated with 300 U of L-asparaginase showed 85% and 78% reduction in L-asparagine content and the acrylamide levels of enzyme treated fried potato chips and baked bread reduced to 94% and 86% respectively, compared with the untreated control. Results of the study revealed that acrylamide was formed in starchy food products during frying and baking and L-asparaginase inhibited the formation of acrylamide making it a potential candidate in food processing industry to reduce acrylamide formation in starchy food products.