Food and drug administration fda is currently developing guidance for industry on reduction of acrylamide levels in food products. According to joseph levitt, director of the center for food safety and applied nutrition cfsan at the food and drug administration, acrylamide is a natural byproduct of the cooking process. Acrylamide in food food safety authority of ireland. Health canadas studies of food likely to contain acrylamide found wideranging concentrations in potato chips, french fries, cookies, breakfast cereals, bread, as well as other foods that are also processed at high temperatures such as coffee, roasted almonds, and grainbased coffee substitutes. Since the first reporting of the levels of acrylamide in food, a range of levels have been reported in different food and food products 2,17,49,61. The actual acrylamide level in a specific food product, therefore, probably reflects the. Products which contain acrylamide include chips, crisps, coffee, breakfast cereals. This is why health authorities agree that keeping acrylamide levels in food as low as reasonably achievable alara is needed. Overview fda agrees with whofao consultancy acrylamide in food is a major concern fda considers acrylamide in food a high priority fda has developed a comprehensive action plan with the input of its food advisory committee and the public.
Acrylamide is mainly formed in food by the reaction of asparagine an amino acid with reducing sugars particularly glucose and fructose as part of the maillard. Recent concern over the presence of acrylamide in food dates from 2002. Below, weve listed 10 common foods and drinks that are known to be particularly high in acrylamide including french fries, chips, prune juice, cereals, crispbread, canned black olives, cocoa, cookies, and coffee. The world health organization first began to look at the dangers of acrylamide in 2002 after the publication of a study in sweden that linked acrylamide consumption with cancer. This guidance provides information to help growers, manufacturers, and food service operators reduce acrylamide levels in certain foods. International food regulators are working with industry to reduce acrylamide levels. However, jecfa commented that it was unable to discount the effect in the. Table 1 gives a summary of the typical results of the analysis of acrylamide in food to date.
Acrylamide is proven to be carcinogenic in animals and a probable human carcinogen mainly formed in foods by the reaction of asparagine free amino acid. It is used in making paper, dyes, and plastics, and in treating drinking water and wastewater. Acrylamide national institute of environmental health. Acrylamide is a chemical that can form in some foods during hightemperature cooking processes, such as frying, roasting, and baking. The ciaa acrylamide toolbox summary the ciaa toolbox reflects the results of several years of industry cooperation to understand acrylamide formation and potential intervention steps. Are you looking for a list of foods that are high in acrylamide. What the food industry is doing to reduce acrylamide. Acrylamide is a byproduct of the cooking process and is formed when reducing sugars glucose or fructose react with the amino acid asparagine during the maillard reaction 2.
Acrylamide levels appear to rise as food is heated for longer periods of time. Draft scientific opinion on acrylamide in food efsa european union. In all cases the lower bound on acrylamide intake populationbased intake exceeded 1. Although researchers are still unsure of the precise mechanisms by which acrylamide forms in foods, many believe it is a byproduct of the maillard reaction. Method of determination not given except by reference to the 1992 who manual, which is a manual for. There are limited numbers of analyses conducted for some of these food groups. The identity of acrylamide was confirmed by these developed methods. It mainly forms from sugars and amino acids mainly one called asparagine that are naturally present in many foods. Acrylamide aa is a potentially carcinogenic substance which is formed during heating of food products containing carbohydrates and asparagine. Please note that there is more recent data on acrylamide content in common foods you can view some of this data here. You also create acrylamide when you cook food at home. The primary sources of acrylamide in the typical modern diet are boxed cereals, french fries, potato chips, and coffee.
Acrylamide was demonstrated to occur in heated food products, with unexpectedly high levels in potato products up to mgkg level in potato crisps and in beetroot. Since that time, several analytical methods have been made available for the quantification of aa in various foods. Crossfertilization of ideas among several disciplines in which an interest in acrylamide has developed, including food science, pharmacology, toxicology, and medicine, will provide a better understanding of the chemistry and biology of acrylamide in food, and can lead to the development of food processes to. In light of the conclusions of the european food safety authoritys risk assessment on acrylamide in foodi, the food industry should continue to reduce acrylamide in food products. It helps to provide a more complete picture of the work developments on acrylamide in food. This information could contribute to discussions on how to reduce acrylamide exposure from industrial food production. The most important food groups contributing to acrylamide exposure are fried potato products, coffee, biscuits, crackers and crisp breads, and soft bread. Swedish scientists reported that up to mgkg quantities of acrylamide could be formed in carbohydraterich foods during hightemperature cooking, e. Acrylamide has a carcinogenic potency in rats that is similar to that of other carcinogens in food, but the intake levels for acrylamide are likely to be higher. This information base has been prepared in close collaboration with the european food safety authority. Code of practice for managing acrylamide formation in foods.
A common gcms technique for acrylamide analysis in food is based on a method developed by grob, et al. This includes developing guidance on ways to limit acrylamide formation in a variety of foods and processes. Encourages all food business operators to take action to mitigate acrylamide. Fda action plan and perspective on acrylamide in food. Mitigation strategies for acrylamide significant efforts have been undertaken in order to develop appropriate strategies that reduce acrylamide in foods. Fda also regulates the amount of acrylamide in a variety of materials that come in contact with food. Maillard reaction or browning reaction adverse health effects how acrylamide forms in food for more detailed. A second model system allowed identification of intermediates and confirmation of a proposed mechanism for acrylamide formation. The toolbox is not meant as a prescriptive manual nor a formal guide. French fries are also high in acrylamide, a possible carcinogen that is found in starchy foods that have been fried or baked at high temperatures. We can only try to reduce the amount of acrylamide in food through more careful and varied cooking. Acrylamide is not deliberately added to foods it is a natural byproduct of the cooking process and has always been present in our food.
Assessment of cancer risk due to acrylamide intake from coffee consumption pdf risk assessment of acrylamide intake from cerealbased baby foods pdf results of acrylamide in. Discussion paper on acrylamide food and agriculture. This concise 37page document summarizes current research, and leads with advice to food industry producers and food service industry workers on how to minimize human exposure through reducing levels of acrylamide in food. Starting from the announcement in 2002, occurrence, formation, chemistry, toxicology. Acrylamide is a chemical used in industries such as the paper and pulp, construction, foundry, oil drilling, textiles, cosmetics, food processing, plastics, mining, and agricultural industries. Signature series december 4, 2017 the bane of snack foods.
Acrylamide in food is recognised as a major concern for public health by international organisations such as the. Acrylamide is a chemical substance formed when starchy foods, such as potatoes and bread, are cooked at high temperatures above 120c. Cancer from acrylamide in food thats burnt, grilled, fried. Chemistry and safety of acrylamide in food springerlink. Acrylamide aa is a carcinogenic and genotoxic food contaminant occurring in carbohydrate rich foods produced at high cooking temperatures.
New farming and processing techniques are being investigated to produce lower levels of acrylamide, for example, lowering cooking temperatures, using enzymes that reduce acrylamide formation and obtaining raw materials with lower reducing sugar levels. Acrylamide intake from consumption of potato chips was estimated using each of the three food consumption datasets based upon usda surveys, and the additional dataset based upon the mrca food frequency survey table 1. Acrylamide or 2propenamide an industrial chemical formed in some foods particularly starchy foods during heating process such as baking, frying and roasting. In 2002, the swedish national food administration first reported the presence of acrylamide in foods. Exposure to acrylamide may increase the risk of cancer. To ensure that canadian exposure to acrylamide from food sources is kept as low as possible, health canada has committed to working with health authorities in other countries to better understand how acrylamide is formed in foods, what foods contain the highest amounts of acrylamide, and what impact acrylamide has on human health. This briefing brings together publically available information regarding acrylamides prevalence in food on the european market and its toxicity. Environmental protection agency epa regulates acrylamide levels in drinking water. Acrylamide is a carcinogenic chemical that was discovered in food by the swedish scientists in early 2000s. Since the first reporting of the levels of acrylamide in food, a range of levels have been reported in. Acrylamide in food forms from sugars and an amino acid that are naturally present in food.
However, it is virtually impossible to eliminate acrylamide from starchy foods. While discussions about acrylamide and just how much of a health threat it actually poses to the population at large continue, what is indisputable is the fact that this food contaminant is pervasive in the food supply, found in literally thousands of food and beverage products consumed every day. Even though higher levels of acrylamide do not automatically form when asparagine is present in a food, and even though asparagus is not a red flag food when it comes to acrylamide, this relationship suggests that one of the building blocks for acrylamidelasparaginemay be more limited when food is cooked in its freshest form. What is acrylamide and how is it involved with food and. Boiling or steaming dont cause acrylamide formation, but baking, roasting, and frying do. Dietary acrylamide exposure from traditional food products in lesser. The presence of acrylamide in food was first discovered in.
Certain foods and beverages sold or served here can expose you to chemicals including acrylamide in many fried or baked foods, and mercury in. In july of 2006, the united states food and drug administration released the results of its latest research on the acrylamide content of common foods. Reducing acrylamide content in foods at household and industrial level can help. This model allowed a more thorough study of key precursors.
The consultation recommended that an international network on acrylamide in food should be established inviting all interested parties to share relevant data as well as ongoing investigations. Its aim is to provide brief descriptions of the intervention steps evaluated and, in many. The european food and drink federation ciaa coordinated the efforts and pooled the results together to produce the acrylamide toolbox. May 2019 and the commission issued recommendations on monitoring and investigations into increased levels of acrylamide. The information will be used to assist in the investigation of acrylamide and to help ensure that effective and complementary progress is made. Health implications of acrylamide in food world health organization. The food industry has undertaken a lot of work to identify and implement measures to reduce acrylamide levels in food. The food and drugs administration fda has released a set of nonbinding guidance notes on the subject of acrylamide in food 2016 1. With potato as a food model, different factors affecting the acrylamide formation were tested. Although humans have no equivalent organ to the harderian gland, jecfa was not able to discount. Of course, as with anything in life, we also encourage you to think for yourself. The ciaa acrylamide toolbox a toolbox for the reduction. To be clear, for legal reasons, our answer is no, in food it doesnt.
Although humans have no equivalent organ to the harderian gland, jecfa was not able to discount this effect. Yesterday the fda released a consumer update suggesting that people try to reduce their consumption of a compound found in well and overcooked. And if you want to learn how to avoid acrylamide in food, thats completely within your right to do so well give you tips on how in a. Hong kong populationbased food consumption survey 20052007 final. Characterization of acrylamide intake from certain foods. Scientific opinion on acrylamide in food efsa wiley online library. Why am i being warned about potential exposure to acrylamide. Acrylamide arises in food when asparagine, an amino acid, is heated with sugars such as glucose.
This network functions as a global resource and inventory of ongoing research on acrylamide in food. Efsa was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on acrylamide aa in food. Acrylamide is on the proposition 65 list because it can cause cancer. Acrylamide in food eurofins provides a current overview on acrylamide in food since in 2002, the swedish authority for food safety called attention to the occurrence of acrylamide in food, it is commonly known that acrylamide can be developed during.