What is acrylamide and where is it found?

The acrylamide It is not really a product that has been discovered now or to which new effects have been attributed, but everything responds to the application of a regulation to reduce its presence  in food and the stir this has caused. This fact has raised many doubts and questions that we will try to answer here.

What is acrylamide and how is it formed?

It is a chemical that is produced when processing certain products. When we say process we are referring to subjecting food to high temperatures, especially in low humidity conditions. These processes can be industrial treatments or common domestic procedures such as roasting, frying, baking ... What happens in these cases is called the Maillard reaction, a complex set of chemical reactions that take place in the presence of carbohydrates and amino acids from proteins.

In what foods is acrylamide found?

The foods they containacrylamide They are primarily starchy, and the most common contributors to acrylamide exposure are potato chips, coffee, cookies, crackers, toast, and soft bread. AECOSAN (Spanish Agency for Consumption, Food Safety and Nutrition) states that some food categories, such as French fries or snacks and coffee substitutes contain relatively high levels ofacrylamide, but its overall contribution to exposure through diet is considered limited if one is followed. Abusing these ingredients as part of an unhealthy diet can lead to greater exposure.

On the other hand, depending on age, which are the diet products that involve a greater intake ofacrylamide. While in adults the consumption will be through potatoes, coffee and bread, in children and adolescents it will come through potatoes, cereals, cookies, confectionery products, etc. And since children have a lower body weight and higher energy needs, compared to adults, they are the ones who will be more exposed to these substances. A study carried out in 2015 that assessed the risk of exposure to acrylamide in the Spanish population concluded that it occurs mainly in children aged 5-14 years followed by the female population, due to their average weights, lower than those Men's.

What effects does it produce?

The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) through the scientific evaluation onacrylamide in food concludes that, despite the fact that epidemiological associations have not shown that acrylamide is a human carcinogen, among other reasons because clinical trials cannot be carried out when a pathological causal relationship is suspected, the margins of exposure (MDE) indicate a concern for neoplastic effects based on animal evidence. This is because laboratory animals exposed to theacrylamide orally, they have been shown to be more likely to develop genetic mutations and tumors, as well as to suffer harmful effects on the nervous system and on pre and postnatal development and on male reproduction.

In humans, it has been possible to evaluate the effects on workers exposed to acrylamide, who show an increased risk of suffering from irregularities in the nervous system.

Is there a tolerable dose of acrylamide?

For all the above, it is considered that the acrylamide and its metabolite, glycidamide, are genotoxic, that is, with the capacity to cause damage to genetic material, and carcinogenic. A tolerable daily intake cannot be established for substances considered genotoxic, since any level of exposure could potentially damage DNA, which does not mean that it will. Otherwise, 100% of people would suffer from cancer, since UV radiation from the sun also has the capacity to cause damage to genetic material.

Given the impossibility of establishing a tolerable daily intake, the EFSA experts estimated the range of the dose in which theacrylamide it is more likely to cause neoplastic, neurological and other adverse effects. After this study, the minimum confidence limit was established at 0.17mg / Kg of weight / day. This is the most restrictive limit and it refers to the limit beyond which acrylamide is more likely to cause a small but appreciable incidence of tumors, since current levels of dietary exposure to acrylamide are not considered to be of concern with respect to non-neoplastic effects, but due to neoplastic effects based on evidence in animals.

Not only in food

Exposure to acrylamide does not occur solely from food. Tobacco is also a source of acrylamide for both smokers and second-hand smokers. In fact, in smokers, tobacco is a greater source of acrylamide exposure than food.

What measures are being taken in this regard?

On November 21, 2017, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 was published, which establishes mitigation measures and reference levels to reduce the presence ofacrylamide in food. This regulation includes reference values ​​to detect the presence of acrylamide in food products and Codes of practice to reduce the levels of this substance in food, both at the industry and restaurant level and at the domestic level. All this is applicable from April 11, 2018 on a mandatory basis in the food, catering, hotel and restaurant industries, which is why we have been hearing about acrylamide for a few months much more than usual.

What can we do to reduce your acrylamide intake?

The way food is cooked can considerably influence the levels of acrylamide that are generated and therefore the amount we end up ingesting, therefore, in addition to the measures that are being carried out in the food industry to reduce its presence, we must consider how we can minimize its production when cooking food at home.

• The ingredients, the storage conditions and the temperature of have considerable relevance on the formation of acrylamide. We know that the longer the cooking time and the higher the temperature, the higher the acrylamide generation.
• It also affects humidity: the lower the humidity, the more acrylamide production.
• And the contact surface: foods with a greater surface exposed to cooking will contain a greater amount of acrylamide, as is the case of potato chips or other products of
• It is also known that while in the alkaline medium the Maillard reaction accelerates producing greateracrylamide, in the presence of acid it slows down, a fact that is also taken into consideration at an industrial level.

Thus, there is not enough scientific evidence on the amounts of acrylamide that covers a restriction of consumption of a certain food group, and the recommendation is to mitigate exposure to acrylamide through a balanced and healthy diet, avoiding the consumption of products that are too roasted. . In this sense, it is recommended:

• Control the time and temperature when frying, cooking, baking or toasting foods that contain starch (potatoes, bread, cookies, croquettes, other battered products, etc.), without exceeding 175ºC.
• Make sure that the products acquire a light golden color, not dark, and do not consume the parts that are too dark.
• Choose steaming, stewing or boiling as culinary preparations, in which acrylamide is not generated.

• Foods that are thought to contribute the most to exposure toacrylamide They are French fries, coffee, cookies, crackers, toast, and soft bread.
• There is insufficient scientific evidence on the amounts of acrylamide to justify not consuming a certain food group.
• The recommendation is to mitigate exposure to acrylamide through a balanced and healthy diet, avoiding the consumption of overly toasted, fried or baked products that have acquired a dark golden color.

Mercè Gonzalo

Bachelor of Food Science and Technology Diploma in Human Nutrition and Dietetics