**1. Introduction**

The prevalence of acrylamide (ACR) in ready-to-eat diets and its toxicological effects currently on humans is a public concern. The formation of this heat-generated toxic substance in foods,

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2017 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

principally in carbohydrate-rich foods, was first reported by Tareke et al. [1] and has since been identified as a global challenge in the food industry. It has been classified as a potential occupational (Group 2A) carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and some US government agencies [2]. This is due to the fact that ACR is known to potentially exhibit carcinogenic effects in experimental animals, albeit its dietary link to human cancer. Its neurotoxicity in humans is well known from accidental and occupational exposures and experimental studies in animals which have shown genotoxic, reproductive and carcinogenic effects [3].

For over a decade since its discovery, several studies have been published in the literature on its formation, presence in various food products and toxicity in different parts of the world [1, 4–6]. In contrast, there is a dearth of information on its incidence and prevalence in Africa. This is probably why no information regarding limits regulating ACR in foods has not been established or enforced. Although other regions of the world can be affected by ACR contamination, it could be easily identified that Africa can be the most affected. It can, however, be difficult to affirm this assertion considering the lack of well-established or insufficient data on ACR levels in processed foods, degree of human exposure and risk assessment in the continent. This chapter appraises studies presenting information on the formation of ACR in foods and toxicity associated with it in other parts of the world. The main strategies for controlling or preventing its occurrence in the literature are also reviewed herein with a view of their possible adoption in Africa.
