Acrylamide is a food contaminant and carcinogen that results when carbohydrate-rich foods are processed at temperatures above 120℃ and is utilized in certain industrial processes. This means it is found in foods like bread, coffee, and fried food, and is a part of the making of materials like paper, dyes, and plastics. Tribolium castaneum, a species of beetles proven to allow rapid, convenient survival determination after being fed toxicants, was used to analyze the effects of bird food believed to contain acrylamide. We placed 60 imagos in jars with ground bird food concentrations ranging from 0%- 100% for two weeks at 24℃ and 70% humidity, then measured food intake to determine acrylamide feeding’s impact on food consumption. Thirty beetles from each condition were starved for 6 hours then randomly assigned to feed or 2,4, or 6 hours on either a flour only control or one supplemented with 0.5% or 10% crushed acrylamide containing bird pellets. Then, they were frozen at -18℃ with the wet weight of 5 individuals on microbalance with 6 replicates per condition.
Results/Conclusions
The effects of bird food consumption on the fitness of T. castaneum was compared with previous research done by Grünwald et al (2014). Both fitness and survival under heat stress of the beetles are diminished depending on dose and time of exposure. High doses of acrylamide decreased food intake in T. castenaeum. Beetles were starved for 6 h before being fed on flour alone or supplemented with 0.5% or 10% acrylamide or in the absence of food. Acrylamide’s presence in cigarette smoke, its association with unhealthy foods, as well as its correlation with increased risks for several types of cancer has led to the current acrylamide vigilance in the scientific community. Since studies on the effects of acrylamide in commercial pet foods has largely focused on cats and dogs, this study aims to analyze the carcinogen’s impact on the bird populations. Research conducted on model organisms helps further our knowledge not just on the chemical but its potential impacts on humans. In subsequent studies, the amounts of acrylamide in commercially available bird foods will be examined using a mass spectrometer and compared to that in other bird food brands.