What is acrylamide? Acrylamide is a chemical that's found in starchy foods like bread and potatoes, if they're cooked at high temperatures for a long time. This includes baking, barbequing, frying, grilling, toasting, or roasting.
While toast contains less acrylamide than potato chips and fries, toasted white bread is one of the main food sources of acrylamide, so it is the food that has attracted headlines.
In the foodstuffs that have been examined, toasted bread has been found to contain up to 200 micrograms per kilogram, which converts to around 0.2 micrograms per gram, or for an average slice of toast (assuming it weighs around 24 grams) about 4.8 micrograms.
Baking at a lower temperature for a longer time, but to the same final moisture content has been effective in lowering acrylamide in some products. The product will inevitably have a less dark, less 'baked' colour. product as this could lead to microbiological problems on storage.
When bread is grilled to make toast, for example, this causes more acrylamide to be produced. The darker the colour of the toast, the more acrylamide is present. During the browning process, the sugar, amino acids and water present in the bread combine to create colour and acrylamide - as well as flavour and aromas.
Drinking more water, a lot more water for some of us, will probably be the most important thing you can do to get rid of Acrylamide. However, make sure you are drinking pure water; otherwise you may inadvertently increase your exposure. Taking herbs to improve kidney and liver detoxification may be helpful.
Acrylamide forming substances (e.g., asparagine and reducing sugars) should be washed away from the surface of the potatoes and vegetables after they are cut by soaking them in water. Soaking them in water will reduce formation of acrylamide during frying.
Rice based cereal samples had acrylamide content that ranged from 93.38 to 393.05 μg/kg with an average value of 237.27 μg/kg and a median of 261.31 μg/kg (Table 1).
Decreasing cooking time to avoid heavy crisping or browning, blanching potatoes before frying, not storing potatoes in a refrigerator, and post-drying (drying in a hot air oven after frying) have been shown to decrease the acrylamide content of some foods (7, 8).
So, is toast healthy? Toast is just a type of carbohydrate that can be consumed as part of any balanced, healthy diet. Furthermore, toasting a type of bread that is higher in whole grains will make it more nutrient-dense, adding more fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
When starchy foods are cooked until they are a dark brown, a compound called acrylamide is formed. The Food Standards Agency in the UK has brought out some interesting guidelines that say we should avoid over-cooking starchy food to reduce our acrylamide intake, which will then reduce our cancer risk.
These include heterocyclic amines and so-called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can lead to fried or smoked foods posing a health risk. In the case of burnt toast, most concern surrounds the risk from the formation of acrylamide, a compound that has been linked to cancer and nerve damage in animals.
Acrylamide is found mainly in foods made from plants, such as potato products, grain products, or coffee. Acrylamide does not form, or forms at lower levels, in dairy, meat, and fish products.
The formation of acrylamide in both banana varieties was enhanced with an increase in both reducing sugars (glucose and fructose). This research demonstrated that the formation of acrylamide was strongly dependent on the concentration of, both glucose and fructose.
The content of acrylamide in wheat breads were in all cases lower than those in the control group, and its content reduced 24.38%–58.83% by sourdough fermentation.
Baking foods to a golden yellow, or lighter colour, and at lower oven temperatures will reduce acrylamide levels. When cooking foods such as toast and toasted sandwiches do not over-toast or burn. Cooking bread to a golden colour, or lighter, will help to keep acrylamide levels lower.
Once in your body, acrylamide enters your body fluids. Acrylamide and its breakdown products leave your body mostly through urine; small amounts may leave through feces, exhaled air, and breast milk.
Filter, change oils and clean cooking equipment as often as needed or as recommended by suppliers. Reusing old, dirty oil and cooking equipment will increase the levels of acrylamide in deep- fried foods. When baking bread and sweet or savoury bakery products cook to a golden yellow, or lighter colour.
However, it is recommended not to abuse frying, to prevent the formation of acrylamide. This will reduce the content of glycoalkaloids. If they are peeled before boiling, the glycoalkaloid content is reduced.
Flush eyes with large amounts of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove contact lenses if worn. Seek medical attention. Quickly remove contaminated clothing and wash contaminated skin with large amounts of water.
Breakfast cereals – cornflakes and all-bran flakes are the worst offenders, while porridge oats contain no acrylamide at all.