How to have French fries with less acrylamide

Cancerogenic acrylamide in French fries

In 2002, acrylamide, an undesired product that might means cancer, was rescued in assorted foods, together with French fries. In the new years, multiform techniques were grown by the systematic village in sequence to revoke this contaminant during frying but a examination of industry practices was still lacking, says Raquel Medeiros Vinci, a PhD tyro at Ghent University in the lab of Prof. B. De Meulenaer and Dr. F. Mestdagh. Raquel investigated innovative techniques for the rebate of acrylamide in French fries. This investigate was finished in partnership with the potato estimate industry (Belgapom and EUPPA, European Potato Processors" Association) and Flanders" Food.

Improved processes outcome in a rebate of acrylamide

During this investigate dual strategies were tested to revoke acrylamide in French fries on an industrial scale. The initial considers the tender element preference of potatoes on attainment at the factory. Therefore the attribute in between the sugarine calm of potato tuber, the arrangement of acrylamide and the color of the oven baked product was evaluated. Results suggested that it is probable to brand potato batches receptive for acrylamide arrangement prior to these come in production. This gives the potato estimate industry the probability to exclude the collection for French fries prolongation or to regulate their routine parameters to revoke the risk of acrylamide formation. Accordingly, the potato estimate industry now succeeds in obscure the risk of acrylamide arrangement in their last products.

Furthermore, potatoes were subjected to assorted pre-treatments during prolongation on industrial scale of pre-frozen French fries in sequence to find measures to serve revoke acrylamide arrangement on last frying of the product. The pre-treatments tested were food acids, ipecac and the chemical substance asparaginase. Although these components significantly marked down acrylamide during laboratory experiments, their focus on industrial scale did not outcome in serve acrylamide reductions in pre-frozen French fries.

On the alternative hand, tests achieved on cold French fries (not par-fried) pre-treated with the chemical substance asparaginase were really successful. After No acrylamide was rescued on French fries after last frying, but impacting the ambience and shelf hold up of the product.

Since acrylamide is shaped during the last frying and is associated to the colour of the fries, it is to illustrate critical that the consumer or caterer follow the baking/frying instructions supposing on the product package. A some-more enlarged frying and/or as well high frying heat will outcome in a darker phony product with higher acrylamide values. Golden-yellow fries are to illustrate healthier than darker-coloured ones.

In 2008, the EU constructed we estimate 62 million tones of potatoes of that some-more than twenty % is processed for example in to French fries. French fries essentially originated from Belgium, one of the tip 5 potato producing countries in the EU. On average, Belgians devour around 87 kg per chairman per year, utterly mostly as fries, a plate that can be deliberate as a standard Belgian, says prof. Benedikt Sas from Food2Know. Good peculiarity potatoes and softened estimate techniques for fries are to illustrate critical not usually for a great taste, but additionally from a health perspective.

The formula of this investigate will be presented at the conference "Acrylamide rebate in the potato and food", on the 17th of Mar 2010 in Het Pand, Onderbergen 1, 9000 Gent, Belgium.

Raquel Medeiros Vinci carried out this investigate in the organisation of Food Chemistry and Human Nutrition, in partnership with her upholder Prof. Bruno De Meulenaer and Dr. Frdric Mestdagh. This organisation is part of of Food2Know.