Acrylamide is one of those words that starts floating around whenever we talk about “burnt” food, crispy French fries and too-dark toast. Just recently the magazine The Lifesaver has drawn up the ranking of the biscuits that contain the most acrylamide (and among the worst in the test there are some very well-known brands).
Despite scientific recommendations, the EU to date has not set a binding legal limit, but only reference values: 350 micrograms per kilo for adults and 150 for children up to 3 years. But what is it really, how does it form and what can you concretely do to reduce it without giving up the foods you love?
What is acrylamide
Acrylamide is a chemical substance that forms naturally in some foods when they are cooked at high temperatures, especially if they are rich in starches (potatoes, cereals) and contain sugars and some proteins. It was not “added” by the industry: it is a by-product of cooking, discovered in foods in 2002.
On the health front:
At the same time, studies that directly observe people (epidemiology) do not so far show a clear and clear increase in cancer risk linked to normal amounts of acrylamide in the diet. Translated: the substance has carcinogenic potential, so the authorities try to reduce it as much as possible.
How acrylamide is formed in foods
Here the famous Maillard reaction comes into play, the same one that gives:
It is a reaction between reducing sugars (such as glucose, fructose) and amino acids, particularly asparagine, which occurs when food is cooked above about 120°C in low humidity conditions (baking, frying, grilling, roasting).
Specifically: asparagine reacts with sugars during Maillard, reactive intermediates are formed, at high temperatures, a part of these intermediates degrades and leads to the formation of acrylamide.
Therefore it does not form: when food is boiled (water at 100°C) or cooked at low temperatures with a lot of humidity (e.g. moderate steaming).
In which foods do you find it most often?
International agencies (FAO/WHO, EFSA, national authorities) have found acrylamide mainly in:
In general, the darker and more “burnt” the product is, the higher the acrylamide level is likely to be.
How to reduce acrylamide in the kitchen
It is not a single toast that is too dark that does the damage, but it makes sense to keep exposure as low as possible in the long term, especially if there are children in the family or if the diet is already very rich in ultra-processed and fried foods. Guidelines from various authorities (including the FSA UK and the FDA) agree on the following points.
1. Aim for “golden,” not dark brown
2. Prefer boiling and steaming to frying/grilling
3. Potatoes: how to treat them
4. Bread and toast
5. Homemade biscuits, cakes and baked goods
6. Vary your diet (reducing fried foods and snacks)
EFSA and WHO remind that the overall risk depends on the total dose and duration over time:
So don’t panic, but don’t be light-hearted either: common sense in the kitchen (and a varied diet) remain the simplest and most concrete weapons to avoid the risks of acrylamide.
Sources: EFSA/WHO/IARC
