15 November 2015

Pin It

FSA roast potatoes, chips and toast could give you cancer tips how to use potato

FSA roast potatoes, chips and toast could give you cancer tips how to use potato

UK -
A new study by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) the Government’s food safety watchdog, measured the amount of acrylamide - a cancer-causing toxin - in roast potatoes, chips and toast cooked in the home.

crispy roast potato and the crunchy slice of toast. Both contain very high levels of a cancer-causing chemical.

The chemical, which is a proven carcinogen, is formed from a reaction between amino acids and the sugars and water found in potatoes and bread when they are subjected to temperatures above 120C.

The FSA study took samples of cooked potatoes and toast from 50 households, bagging up the samples and then measuring the levels of acrylamide in the laboratory.

Researchers found that none of the householders were aware of the possible dangers of acrylamide lurking in cooked potatoes or toast - and had no idea that prolonged cooking caused the chemical to be produced in higher volumes.

FSA researchers found that the crispier the roast potato or chip, or toast higher the levels of acrylamide they contained.

roast potatoes and chips which were darkest in color and crispiest in texture - contained the highest levels of acrylamide.

In a batch of chips cooked for longest, scientists recorded 1,052 micrograms of acrylamide per kilogram me - 50 times higher than in the batch with the lowest levels of the chemical.

In roast potatoes, the FSA recorded 490 micro grammes of acrylamide per kg in the crispiest and most cooked batch - 80 times higher than the levels contained in the palest batch of roast potatoes cooked.

There is a regulatory limit of just 0.1 micrograms per liter for the amount of acrylamide that can be present in drinking water in the EU - a quantity far lower than found in cooked potatoes, toast or other substances including coffee.

The researchers gave following tips to reduce the amount of acrylamide in roast potatoes and chips.

1-
Parboiling potatoes first before roasting them - considered the best method for producing crispy ‘roasties’ anyway - because the process reduces the free sugars that generate acrylamides

2-
Storing potatoes in a cupboard rather than fridge. Low temperatures can increase the amount of sugar and sweetness in the potato, leading to more acrylamide when cooked

3-
Cooks should not ‘fluff up’ parboiled potatoes before roasting them because in doing so it increases the surface area which in turn increases levels of acrylamide

The FSA’s chief scientific adviser said the new research showed the need for roast potatoes and chips to be cooked to only “a light golden color” and that bread should be toasted to “the lightest color acceptable”.


Suggested Reading –

Crunchy toast could give you cancer, FSA warns


Reality views by sm

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Tags – Cancer Toast Potato Chips Crisp

2 comments:

Destination Infinity November 15, 2015  

Nowadays, I don't know what to eat. I have been avoiding potato chips but it's disheartening to know that roasted bread is also not healthy! I need to switch over to raw bread sandwich then. Thanks for the info.

Destination Infinity