Acrylamide was known to cause cancer in lab animals when ingested at high doses. So when researchers announced a decade ago that they had also discovered it in many commonly eaten foods — including French fries, potato chips, bread and even coffee — consumers were understandably worried that their snack chips might do them in.
Acrylamide, it turns out, turns up in foods (mostly plant-based ones) when they are fried, baked or otherwise cooked at high temperatures. It forms from sugars and an amino acid naturally found in food, as part of the Maillard Reaction (that's the chemical reaction that transforms the flavor and color of food when cooked). In other words, it has been in our foods probably for as long as we've been cooking, but we didn't know it until a little over a decade ago. (Acrylamide, by the way, is also a known neurotoxin in humans, but the WHO says the levels found in food don't pose a concern on that front.)
Crispy french fries are the best french fries, one may (correctly) argue, but they're also more likely to contain a chemical called acrylamide, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reminds Thursday may be linked to increased rates of cancer.
In a consumer update posted to its website, the FDA details the reasons to consider cutting back on acrylamide, a chemical that forms naturally in plant-based foods when they are cooked at high temperatures for a long time. In other words, it's usually found in fried foods, like french fries. It's produced from a chemical reaction from the sugars and an amino acid called asparagine, which is found in many grains and vegetables. (And potatoes have a particularly high amount of it, further exacerbating the french fry problem.)
Here’s a short list of some of the foods acrylamide is often found in:
potatoes (especially roasted or fried potatoes)
cereals
coffee
crackers
breads (especially toasted bread)
dried fruits
Don’t eat crispy or burnt french fries. The FDA says overcooked, crispy or burnt french fries are the ones most likely to have higher levels of acrylamide. Go for the golden yellow fries, and avoid the brown ones.
toast!
Also, don’t eat burnt toast. Same concept here: The dark brown or black areas on a piece of toast are more likely to contain acrylamide. Toast your bread to a light brown color instead. "The best rule of thumb is just don’t cook things to death," Fernstrom says.
Potatoes don’t belong in the refrigerator. Keeping potatoes in the fridge can increase the amount of acrylamide produced during cooking, the FDA says. Instead, keep them stored in a dark, cool place, like a pantry.
Acrylamide, it turns out, turns up in foods (mostly plant-based ones) when they are fried, baked or otherwise cooked at high temperatures. It forms from sugars and an amino acid naturally found in food, as part of the Maillard Reaction (that's the chemical reaction that transforms the flavor and color of food when cooked). In other words, it has been in our foods probably for as long as we've been cooking, but we didn't know it until a little over a decade ago. (Acrylamide, by the way, is also a known neurotoxin in humans, but the WHO says the levels found in food don't pose a concern on that front.)
Crispy french fries are the best french fries, one may (correctly) argue, but they're also more likely to contain a chemical called acrylamide, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reminds Thursday may be linked to increased rates of cancer.
In a consumer update posted to its website, the FDA details the reasons to consider cutting back on acrylamide, a chemical that forms naturally in plant-based foods when they are cooked at high temperatures for a long time. In other words, it's usually found in fried foods, like french fries. It's produced from a chemical reaction from the sugars and an amino acid called asparagine, which is found in many grains and vegetables. (And potatoes have a particularly high amount of it, further exacerbating the french fry problem.)
Here’s a short list of some of the foods acrylamide is often found in:
potatoes (especially roasted or fried potatoes)
cereals
coffee
crackers
breads (especially toasted bread)
dried fruits
Don’t eat crispy or burnt french fries. The FDA says overcooked, crispy or burnt french fries are the ones most likely to have higher levels of acrylamide. Go for the golden yellow fries, and avoid the brown ones.
toast!
Also, don’t eat burnt toast. Same concept here: The dark brown or black areas on a piece of toast are more likely to contain acrylamide. Toast your bread to a light brown color instead. "The best rule of thumb is just don’t cook things to death," Fernstrom says.
Potatoes don’t belong in the refrigerator. Keeping potatoes in the fridge can increase the amount of acrylamide produced during cooking, the FDA says. Instead, keep them stored in a dark, cool place, like a pantry.
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