Leveling Acrylamide

We know consuming excessive fried and baked foods is bad for our health. And regulators blame the high levels of acrylamide in such foods for the rise of toxicity, cancers and tumors in people. The World Health Organization says acrylamide is a chemical that is used to make polyacrylamide materials, which remove particles and impurities in drinking and waste water. They are also used to make glue, paper and cosmetics.

In April 2002 the Swedish National Food Authority detected high levels of acrylamide in certain foods processed at high temperatures. Since then, the chemical has been found in cooked and heat-processed foods in the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the UK and the US. It is known to cause cancer in animals and certain doses are toxic to the nervous system of both animals and humans.

Research shows that acrylamide appears to be produced naturally in some foods that have been cooked or processed at high temperatures. The levels appear to increase with the duration of heating with the highest levels found in starchy foods such as potato and cereal products.

The good news is that Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety says acute toxicity caused by acrylamide is rarely encountered in humans. And with Vitiva's rosemary extract formulations and enzymes such as DSM's PreventASe and Novozyme's Acrylaway enabling manufacturers to modify their product formulations for lower acrylamide content, we can enjoy our favorite crisps and instant noodles in peace.