Air fryer users have been urged to reconsider cooking two popular foods in the gadget. Health and safety experts at the Virtual College by Netex warned of a “major risk” of air fryers is the production of the chemical acrylamide.
This risk can be found when cooking starchy foods, such as potatoes and bread, are cooked at high temperatures (usually above 120℃). But what is acrylamide?
Acrylamide is a natural by-product of the cooking process, which means it’s always present in our food, according to the Food Standards Agency. It can form when food is either baked, fried, grilled, toasted or roasted.
It’s also not just found in bread and potatoes, but can also be found in root vegetables, chips, crisps, cakes, biscuits, cereals and coffee. Air fryers pose a major risk of producing acrylamide as it cooks food at high temperatures.
Virtual College by Netex noted that the chemical often develops in starchy foods cooked in an air fryer, created through a reaction between sugars and an amino acid called asparagine.
Some studies have shown that consuming high levels of acrylamide could lead to an increased risk of cancer, according to the US Food & Drug Administration. Research done at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found markers of acrylamide exposure can be found in the blood of 99.9 per cent of the U.S. population; however, finding these markers does not imply that their presence will result in adverse health effects.
This means that for the most part, many have no issues when consuming foods that can develop acrylamide, however if you frequently cook starchy foods at high temperatures you are at risk.
However, there are ways to reduce the formation of acrylamide in the food you eat at home. When you’re preparing your food, the FSA recommends:
- aiming for a golden yellow colour or lighter when frying, baking, toasting or roasting starchy foods
- following the cooking instructions on the pack when cooking packaged foods like chips and roast potatoes
- eating a healthy, balanced diet and getting your 5 A Day to help reduce your risk of cancer
They also advised against storing raw potatoes in the fridge, as this was thought to lead to the formation of additional sugars (cold sweetening) which can then convert into acrylamide when the potatoes are cooked.