Fries, crisps, bread: here’s why you shouldn’t grill your food too much!

Toasting a few slices of bread or making homemade chips seems quite trivial, but it is not without risk. In fact, theOverly grilled foods are not good for your health. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has also warned on the subject. The organization explained that grilling these products promotes the appearance of a chemical substance called acrylamide.

Present in chips, potato fries, biscuits or coffee, acrylamide is formed during cooking at high temperatures: “including frying, baking, roasting and industrial processing above 120°C and low humidity. The main chemical mechanism behind this process is called ‘the Maillard reaction’. It is also this reaction which gives a golden color to foods and which affects their flavor”we can read in the press release.

It was in April 2022 that this molecule was detected. Since then, the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) has been able to measure the health risks linked to this substance. Thus, according to the Agency the latter is “recognized as a proven animal and possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)”.

To minimize risks, EFSA recommends “do not burn, but brown lightly” Food. This advice is also shared by Anses, which for its part specifies not to “do not consume the most browned areas during cooking, which are richest in acrylamide”.

The organizations also issued some recommendations such as avoiding overcooking foods. But that’s not all. ANSES also specifies not to keep “Potatoes in the refrigerator, as this increases sugar levels (which may increase acrylamide production during cooking).” but to keep them “in a dark, cool place.”