Cancer risks from toxins Cancer from crispy chips, fried potatoes and dark brown toast

If foods are overheated, dangerous toxins can be produced
If potatoes or toast are cooked or heated at too high a temperature, so-called acrylamides can be produced during this process. This substance is suspected of causing cancer in the human body. Researchers now conducted a study on this topic and provided some guidance on how to protect ourselves from excessive acrylamide in food.

If some foods are overheated, they cause dangerous toxins. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the UK conducted a study on this topic and the results are clear. Especially foods such as fries, fried potatoes, chips and toast often contain a high content of carcinogenic, chemical toxins.

Dangerous substances are formed when too much food is heated. Image: Syda Productions - fotolia

More toxins in crispy foods
Investigations have shown that the concentration of acrylamide increases, the more crispy a potato or a piece of toasted bread, said Professor Guy Mohn of the "FSA" in an opinion. Potatoes should be cooked at most until they have reached a maximum of "golden yellow color". Bread should be heated as short as possible and, at best, light in color.

Higher temperatures during preparation massively increase the toxin content
Acrylamide is a carcinogen. The toxin is caused by a reaction between amino acids, sugar and water. This is triggered when potatoes and bread are heated above a temperature of 120 degrees. Interestingly enough, the study showed a large change in the amount of acrylamide related to the cooking time of the food, the doctors said in a statement. For example, in the paleest and least toasted piece of toast, a value of nine micrograms of acrylamide was found per kilogram. The darkest and most heavily heated bread in the study contained a value of 167 micrograms of acrylamide per kilogram.

Advice on the correct preparation of food
To avoid too much acrylamide in your food, some important points should be noted. If you want to prepare chips at home, they should be roasted to a maximum of a golden color. When toasting bread, make sure that it still has the lightest possible color after toasting. Always follow the food manufacturer's instructions carefully when roasting or oven-heating. For example, if chips are heated in the oven too long, they may contain up to 1,052 micrograms of acrylamide per kilogram. But if the chips are roasted as short as possible, they contain fifty times less acrylamide, said the physicians of the "FSA". Similar observations could be made with fried potatoes.

The crisp fried potatoes contained 490 micrograms of acrylamide per kilogram. This value was eighty times higher than the potatoes of the paleest test group, the researchers warned. Often fried potatoes are pivoted several times during preparation in the pan. This process causes the surface of the potato to enlarge. This increased surface allows the potato to absorb more oil or fat. For this reason, such fried potatoes appear to us even more crispy. The increased surface area can lead to a production of more acrylamide.

Incorrect storage leads to more acrylamide in the diet
Potatoes should be stored in dry cabinets, the doctors explained. A storage in the refrigerator is not recommended because low temperatures can increase the amount of sugar in the potatoes. This can, when the potato is cooked, cause more acrylamide to be produced. It is currently unclear what is safe for a lot of acrylamide. For drinking water, the permitted value in the EU is only 0.1 microgram per liter. It is clear that boiled potatoes, toast and even coffee have significantly higher levels of acrylamide. (As)