- Acrylamide is produced naturally
Acrylamide is produced naturally when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures.
From the research available so far, it seems that boiling food doesn't produce acrylamide.
It isn't possible to stop acrylamide being produced or to remove it from foods
once it has been produced. Therefore research is being carried out to find out
how the levels of acrylamide produced in food can be reduced.
- Cooking and storing potatoes
Potatoes should be kept somewhere cool and dry but not in the fridge. This is because putting potatoes in the fridge can increase the amount
of sugar they contain, this could lead to higher acrylamide levels when the potatoes are roasted, baked or fried at high temperatures.
You can also reduce acrylamide levels
by soaking potatoes in water for 30 minutes before frying them. But remember excess water should be dried off before putting the chips into hot oil.
- Limits set for acrylamide
There is a legal limit set for acrylamide from plastics used in contact with food, such as packaging, so that acrylamide from this
source should not be found in food at levels at or above 10 parts per billion.
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