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.
Acrylamide is ubiquitous in the human diet, and more than one-third of the calories we take in each day come from foods with detectable levels of acrylamide (5). The highest levels appear in fried and roasted potato products and in cereal products such as breads, crackers, and breakfast cereals (Table 1).
Acrylamide has also recently been shown to occur in plant materials such as cocoa beans, which are subjected to mild heat treatment during postharvest 3, 4, 5••.
Acrylamide is abundant in cocoa and chocolate products because the processing requires the beans to be roasted. It is the process of browning the bean that creates the compound acrylamide, a neurotoxin and carcinogen.
The link between acrylamide in food and cancer is not clear. The only studies to show a clear link between acrylamide and cancer are animal studies. These involved very high levels of the chemical. Studies that followed people over time did not find a link between eating foods with acrylamide and cancer.
Acrylamide is in all coffee, as an unavoidable product of the Maillard reaction, that wonderful process that causes sugars and amino acids within food to transition to the brown, delicious toasty-roastiness we find in the crust of bread, the seared sides of a steak, a crispy french fry or potato chip, and of course the ...
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.
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!).
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.
Avoid very brown areas. Cook cut potato products such as frozen french fries to a golden yellow color rather than a brown color. Brown areas tend to contain more acrylamide. Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator, which can increase acrylamide during cooking.
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.
Acrylamide in foodstuffs
The most important sources of acrylamide for adults include coffee, casseroles containing starch (potato or pasta) as well as rye bread, and for children casseroles, cookies, crisps and other baked potatoes. This is due to the high amounts in which they are consumed.
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.
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.”
Reduce consumption of foods that contain acrylamide:
Avoid eating a lot of carbohydrate-rich foods that are cooked at high temperatures (e.g., French fries). Foods with higher protein content appear to have lower amounts of acrylamide. Avoid overcooking foods.
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.
As mentioned, when starchy, carbohydrate-based foods such as potatoes, wheat, rice and other grains are heated above 120 °C (by frying, baking, roasting or toasting, for example), the naturally occurring amino acid asparagine reacts with sugars to form acrylamide.
The contents of acrylamide in breads ranged from below the limit of quantification to 695 μg kg−1 and the mean acrylamide content was 225 μg kg−1. The highest mean level of acrylamide was detected in whole wheat bread.
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.
High levels of acrylamide were found in these food items: up to 327 µg/kg for sweet potato baked at 190 °C for 14 min, and 99 µg/kg for carrot baked at 190 °C for 13 min.
Acrylamide can form in roasted almonds, but is not found in raw almonds. Roasting temperature has much greater impact on acrylamide formation than roasting time. Roasting at a temperature below 265°F (130°C) will minimize acrylamide formation in roasted almonds.
The results revealed that the slices fried in extra virgin olive oil had the lowest concentration of acrylamide, thanks to the ortho-diphenolic compounds present in the oil. Not everyone is convinced of the danger being presented by acrylamide, however.
While acrylamide is not an added ingredient, it is a result of frying food, one of the most common methods of cooking at McDonald's. Acrylamide levels are particularly high in fried potatoes.
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.