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.
These include potatoes, cereals, coffee, crackers or breads, dried fruits and many other foods. According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, acrylamide is found in 40 percent of the calories consumed in the average American diet.
It's most likely to be found in grains, potatoes or coffee heated to high temperatures. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cites these food sources as having the highest levels of acrylamide when heated to high temperatures: French fries.
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.
Among the analyzed samples, the green tea contained low amounts of acrylamide ranged from 10 to 18 μg kg−1, and thus the green tea could be considered as a healthier hot drink.
Sources of acrylamide in the diet include french fries, potato chips, other fried and baked snack foods, roasted asparagus, canned sweet potatoes and pumpkin, canned black olives, roasted nuts, roasted grain-based coffee substitutes, prune juice, breakfast cereals, crackers, some cookies, bread crusts, and toast.
Air fryers themselves aren't a cause of cancer, but air frying does produce certain compounds such as acrylamide, which is considered a "probable" carcinogen.
Evaluation of the acrylamide content levels in end-consumer cocoa and chocolate products revealed that 57% of the examined samples contained acrylamide levels above the limit of quantification. The range of acrylamide content levels determined came to between < LOQ and 400 µg kg−1.
Cooking with water (such as simmering, steaming and boiling) will not reach a temperature above 120°C and acrylamide is not formed during these cooking methods. Using microwave oven will also reduce acrylamide formation.
Breakfast cereals – cornflakes and all-bran flakes are the worst offenders, while porridge oats contain no acrylamide at all. Biscuits and crackers – if baking at home, follow recipes that cook at a relatively low temperature. Also make the finished product as light in colour as possible (without it being raw!).
FDA's best advice for acrylamide and eating is that consumers adopt a healthy eating plan, consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and limits ...
Bread often contains what may be considered to be low amounts of acrylamide. However, due to its high consumption rate, its contribution to dietary exposure is still considerable.
Bakery products (bread, crispbread, cakes, batter, breakfast cereals, biscuits, pies, etc.) are some of the major sources of dietary acrylamide.
However, while all chips contain acrylamide, there are significant differences between types of chips, and even between different samples.
One concern are the free radicals like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines that can result from all fast, high-heat cooking with meat. These compounds do run the risk of cancer. If you are concerned about free radicals, avoid cooking meat with an air fryer.
Air-frying also produces high temperatures at a very rapid rate, thus making it extremely easy to burn food. And charred food may be carcinogenic. In addition, Cucuzza adds, because most devices cook 1 to 3 pounds of food at a time, it can be challenging to air-fry meals for a large family.
Use the lowest oven temperature possible for the food. 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.
Acrylamide exposure usually happens when people eat foods cooked at high temperatures such as fried potato chips and French fries, drink coffee, or inhale tobacco smoke. People who work in industries that make or use acrylamide can have higher exposures through skin contact or inhalation.
Acrylamide Safe Harbor Warning
The label should contain the statement, “Consuming this product can expose you to acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen formed in some foods during cooking or processing at high temperatures.
High acrylamide exposure was associated with a linearly increased risk of endometrial cancer, particularly in never-smokers. A statistically significant association was found between dietary acrylamide exposure and ovarian cancer (especially in non-smokers).
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.
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.”