Do you often eat crisps, well-browned roast potatoes and toast? If yes! then stop eating these Food as it increases the risk of developing the deadly disease, Cancer. The food scientists of UK are warning because of Cancer Risk.
Bread, Chips and Potatoes should be cooked to a golden yellow colour, rather than brown, to reduce our intake of a chemical which could cause Cancer.
The Food Standards Agency(FSA) in the UK launched a campaign to warn about cancer risks. To eating burnt toast, over-roasted potatoes and other starchy foods cooked at high temperatures (above 120 degrees Celsius).
What’s the risk?
FSA says people are consuming too much Acrylamide. Acrylamide is produced when starchy foods are roasted, fried or grilled for too long at high temperatures. This is because sugar levels rise in the vegetables at low temperatures, potentially increasing the amount of acrylamide produced during cooking.
Acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in animals and while it has not been conclusively produced to have the same effect in humans, the scientific consensus is that it is likely to do so.
FSA director of policy Steve Wearne said: “You can’t point to individual people and say that person has cancer because of the amount of acrylamide in their diet but because the mechanisms by which it does have this effect in animals are similar to the mechanisms you would expect to occur in humans it’s not something we can ignore.”
“We’re not saying avoid particular foods or groups of foods but vary your diet so you smooth out your risk. We are not saying to people to worry about the occasional piece of food or meal that’s overcooked. This is about managing risk across your lifetime.”
How acrylamide is formed
During high temperature cooking, a process called the Maillard reaction occurs. The naturally present water, sugar and amino acids combine to create a food’s characteristic flavor, texture, colour and smell. This process can also produce acrylamide.
The duration and temperature of cooking determines the amount of acrylamide produced: long duration’s and higher temperatures form more acrylamide than short duration’s and lower temperatures.
The warning relates to foods that are high in starch, with potatoes, including sweet potatoes, the biggest staple affected. But it also covers other root vegetables, crackers, cereals, including cereal-based baby food, bread, biscuits and coffee, the FSA said.
There are no regulatory maximum limits for acrylamide in food, the Guardian reported.
Source: CNN, BBC, Zee News & Other Channels.
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