You can limit the amount of acrylamide in air-fried food by cooking it for the shortest amount of time and at the lowest temperature necessary to achieve perfect results. French fries should be cooked until golden-brown, and meat should be cooked to a safe internal temperature.
Use your air fryer with caution
Verywell Health notes that cooking starchy food like potatoes at high temperatures will cause a reaction that will form acrylamide — regardless of whether you're using a deep fryer or air fryer.
Deep-fry potato products, such as chips and French fries to a golden yellow, or lighter colour. The oil temperature for cooking should ideally be below 175⁰C. Cooking to a golden yellow, or lighter colour, and deep-frying at lower temperatures will keep acrylamide levels low.
Acrylamide isn't exactly something you want to develop when air frying. It's been linked to cancer, and it forms when carbohydrates, like our favorite air fried spuds, are cooked at high temps.
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.
Tests with antioxidants
Even rosemary in small quantities – in one per cent of the dough – was enough to reduce the acrylamide content significantly. Flavonoids are another type of antioxidant found, among other things, in vegetables, chocolate and tea.
Histopathological evidence of acrylamide-induced peripheral neuropathy has been observed in rats receiving oral doses as low as 1 mg/kg/day for 3 months; the observed degenerative effects in peripheral nerve fibers at such dose levels have been shown to be completely reversible within a few months following the ...
Acrylamide isn't exactly something you want to develop when air frying. It's been linked to cancer, and it forms when carbohydrates, like our favorite air fried spuds, are cooked at high temps. But don't panic - you can reduce the amount formed in your air-fried foods by doing this one thing before cooking!
Air fryers reduce the risk of toxic acrylamide formation
This compound forms in certain foods during high-heat cooking methods, such as deep frying. Acrylamide may have links to the development of some cancers, including endometrial, ovarian, pancreatic, breast, and oesophageal cancer.
Cons of air fryers
Cooked even a few minutes too long can mean you've got burnt or charred food, a known cancer causer. Also, foods can dry out quickly with less fat and higher cooking temps; and they're fairly small so if you plan to cook for more than several people you'll have to do so in batches.
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.
Food storage and preparation methods
Boiling potatoes and microwaving whole potatoes with skin on to make “microwaved baked potatoes” does not produce acrylamide. [Based on FDA studies.] Soaking raw potato slices in water for 15-30 minutes before frying or roasting helps reduce acrylamide formation during cooking.
“Acrylamide forms when foods like potatoes and cereals become crispy and brown. It even forms in roasted coffee beans.” That means acrylamide is in the crunch of potato chips, the crispy edges of French fries, and in toasted snacks and rich roasted coffees. But Stelwagen says it's not as much of a worry as it sounds.
Low-tier air fryers can be made from harmful materials or plastics that release chemicals in your food while cooking. Consider stainless steel materials or plastic that does not contain bisphenol A, also known as BPA.
The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) has classified acrylamide as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies acrylamide as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.”
The major food sources of acrylamide are French fries and potato chips; crackers, bread, and cookies; breakfast cereals; canned black olives; prune juice; and coffee. Acrylamide levels in food vary widely depending on the manufacturer, the cooking time, and the method and temperature of the cooking process (5, 6).
"Generally speaking, acrylamide is more likely to accumulate when cooking is done for longer periods or at higher temperatures," Robin says. Boiling and steaming foods do not typically form acrylamide.
How can acrylamide affect my health? The main targets of acrylamide toxicity are the nervous system and reproductive system. Nervous system effects such as muscle weakness, numbness in hands and feet, sweating, unsteadiness, and clumsiness were reported in some acrylamide workers.
Hazard Class: 6.1 (Poison) Acrylamide is a COMBUSTIBLE SOLID. Use dry chemical, CO2, water spray or foam as extinguishing agents.
Acrylamide in oil
Acrylamide is not found in cooking oil but if starchy food like potatoes are fried in oil and that oil is reused, then acrylamide levels can build up.
Oats have the second highest acrylamide forming potential of rye, wheat, barley and oats. Several studies have found high levels of acrylamide in oat products that exceed the benchmark limits within the EU.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration monitors acrylamide levels in certain foods, and amounts in peanuts and peanut products are low or undetectable. If present, acrylamide naturally forms when peanuts are roasted; it is not added to peanut butter by manufacturers.