Study Uncovers 50 Other Acrylamide-Like Chemicals

Acrylamide and 50 other heat-induced compounds in foods may cause cancer, scientists have concluded in a report released yesterday of a major three-year European Union study into the chemical.

The study adds to the accumulating evidence that acrylamide, formed in foods during heating or frying processes, poses a health problem, and puts more pressure on processors to reduce the chemical in their products.

Reduction may involve reformulation, revising processing and cooking times, or the use of varieties of ingredients that do not result in as much acrylamide formation as their counterparts.

The three-year project, known as Heat-generated Food Toxicants (Heatox), was launched to fill in the gaps on the formation of acrylamide in cooked foods and provide advice to industry.

The team found toxicological evidence suggesting that acrylamide in food may cause cancer, Hetox reported.

Read the full FoodProductionDaily.com story here.