Deep-fried foods are not recommended because they are baked floating in hot fat, have little micronutrients due to their high fat and calorie content, and are therefore a burden on our health. During deep-frying, the fat is brought to particularly high temperatures – 140 to 200°C. Such prepared foods always have a harmful value for the body, as they pose a health risk when using both higher and lower temperatures. If the fat is not hot enough, the food will soak up the fat before a crust has had a chance to form, which is supposed to protect against fat absorption. At high heat, the unsaturated fatty acids in frying fat begin to oxidize. The newly formed toxic compounds – trans fatty acids – pose a danger to our organism. They have a physiologically more unfavorable effect than saturated fatty acids and thus increase cholesterol and can support the formation of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) as well as cancer.
Other pollutants produced by deep frying include:
- Acrylamide – is metabolically activated to glycidamide, a genotoxic metabolite (mutagenic metabolite); an association between exposure to acrylamide and risk of estrogen receptor-positive mammary carcinoma (breast cancer) has been demonstrated. Acrylamide is formed when starches are overheated, i.e., during baking, frying, roasting, grilling, and deep-frying. When foods containing potatoes and cereals are heated dry above 180 °C, a particularly large amount of acrylamide is formed. Crispbread, French fries, potato chips, but also coffee, contain high amounts of acrylamide.
- If the frying fats are used too often, changed only at insufficient intervals or improperly filtered, the entry of bacterial microorganisms, free radicals and environmental pollutants is facilitated. Through the consumption of fried foods, severe contamination and poisoning can thus burden the person and endanger his organism.
