The substance acrylamide is formed during the intense heating of starchy foods and is found especially in baked goods, coffee and potato products such as French fries and chips. For some time now, acrylamide has been suspected of being carcinogenic and of altering genetic material. For this reason, the European Union has set binding specifications that will apply from 2018. Because if some rules are observed in the preparation of food, the formation of acrylamide can be reduced.
Acrylamide: properties and formation
Acrylamide belongs to the chemical group of amides and has been used industrially for over 50 years for the production of plastics and for the treatment of drinking water. It is formed during food preparation when carbohydrates such as starch or sugar are heated above 120 degrees Celsius and combine with the protein building block asparagine. If temperatures exceed 180 degrees Celsius, acrylamide formation increases sharply.
How dangerous is acrylamide?
In 2002, the substance hit the headlines when it was discovered in animal experiments that acrylamide alters genetic material and can thus cause cancer. It is also suspected that in high doses it damages the nervous system. In humans, these relationships have not yet been clearly proven.
Nevertheless, the European Union classifies acrylamide as carcinogenic for humans as well. From April 2018, therefore, legal requirements will apply to food manufacturers. For example, when processing starch-containing products such as potatoes or flour, they must ensure that the food is not heated too much or for too long during baking, frying, roasting or deep-frying. Raw products should also have the lowest possible starch content, for example by blanching potatoes before frying.
Acrylamide: reduce exposure
Because of the potential health hazard, it is recommended that you keep your intake of acrylamide as low as possible. You can lower your exposure to acrylamide with the following tips:
- Gentle preparation: raw foods and cooked and steamed foods contain virtually no acrylamide. When using a deep fryer, do not exceed a temperature of 175 degrees Celsius; in the oven, keep it below 180 degrees Celsius with convection and below 200 degrees Celsius without convection. When baking, use baking soda or baking powder instead of staghorn salt (ammonium bicarbonate), because it promotes acrylamide formation.
- Avoid heavy browning: In general, the darker browned baked goods, French fries and other potato products are, the higher the acrylamide content. Therefore, when preparing these foods, make sure that they are not browned too much.
- Proper storage: potatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator (below 8 degrees Celsius) for long periods of time, because then increased sugar is formed, from which acrylamide is formed. Dark storage prevents the formation of green spots, which contain a lot of acrylamide.
- Avoid foods containing acrylamide: The highest levels of acrylamide have been measured in potato chips, French fries, cookies and roasted coffee. Enjoy these foods in moderation and prefer home-prepared products. This way you can influence the degree of heat and browning.
