Eva Gómez , Coordinator of the International MBA Master in Agri-Food Business Management , Professor of the Master in Food Safety Management and Professor in the Quality and Agri-Food Areas at Bureau Veritas Training. Master in Integrated Management Systems from the Official College of Chemists of Asturias and León.
Acrylamide is a chemical compound present in tobacco smoke and is also an intermediate in the synthesis of polyacrylamides, substances used as flocculants in water treatment and in the paper industry.So, when researchers at Stockholm University detected this substance in food in 2002, the surprise was huge, and with good reason!
acrylamide compound
Acrylamide has probably been present in our diet since man discovered fire and began cooking food, since acrylamide can be formed when cooking or processing food at high temperatures (generally bitcoin data above 120 °C) and with little humidity, as occurs, for example, when roasting or frying. This substance is formed especially easily in starch-rich compounds such as potatoes or cereals through the Maillard reaction , which is the chemical reaction that “darkens or browns” food, making it more palatable in some way. This is one of the most frequent chemical reactions that occur in our kitchens.
Can you imagine eating untoasted toast? Or breakfast cereals being nuclear white? Probably not, but since its discovery, world experts have begun to recommend reducing its presence in foods, given that acrylamide is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a “ probable carcinogen for humans ”, based on studies carried out on animals.
Although it is not clear at this time whether these results can be extrapolated to humans, the reality is that once this substance is consumed, the intestinal tract absorbs it and distributes it to all organs, metabolizing it. One of the main metabolites resulting from this process is glycidamide , which is also a substance dangerous to health. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), there is some concern about its current level of exposure through diet. Studies carried out with laboratory animals exposed to acrylamide orally have shown that they are more likely to develop genetic mutations and tumors (in mammary glands, testicles and thyroid glands in rats and in the Harderian and mammary glands, lungs, ovaries, skin and stomach in mice, among others). Glycidamide is the most likely cause of these types of adverse effects in animals.
How can we control exposure to acrylamide in food at home?
There are frying recommendations made by the industry to reduce acrylamide content in pre-fried potatoes , which have been published by the European Potato Processors Association (EUPPA). In addition, AECOSAN has drawn up cooking recommendations at national level aimed at reducing acrylamide, which includes foods from the domestic sector, including French fries.