A healthy and varied diet helps to reduce the amount of the harmful substance acrylamide consumed. Do you ever eat potatoes or fries? Then the advice is not to fry them dark brown, but golden yellow.
Acrylamide forms when products such as potatoes and grains are heated above 120 °C and turn brown. The substance is found in potato products such as fries/chips, crisps, potato croquettes and fried potatoes, but also in biscuits, (breakfast) cake, crackers, toast and even coffee. It can be harmful if you consume it in large amounts.
Studies with laboratory animals show that acrylamide can be carcinogenic to animals. Studies in humans are limited. Still, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concludes that dietary intake of acrylamide may potentially increase the risk of developing cancer.
Reducing your acrylamide intake is easy. If you eat a healthy and varied diet and don't eat many fried products, you are already well on your way. You can also pay attention during the preparation. Fry potatoes and fries golden yellow instead of dark brown. Less acrylamide is then produced. People who lightly fry their fries consume up to 80 percent less acrylamide than people who always fry their fries dark. Don’t fry too hot, turn regularly and remove off the heat in time. To see whether potatoes or fries have a good color, you can use the new AR filter for Instagram, for example. So you can check on your phone screen whether you are frying your potatoes/fries properly (golden yellow).
