Acrylamide in coffee, what's the deal?
There is increasing talk about Acrylamide: a substance that can be released when food with a lot of starch is heated above 120°C. In America, a warning label must even be placed on all coffee products. This is of course not without reason: the substance has been found to be carcinogenic in mice and rats, but not much is known about it in humans. In 2015, however, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that Acrylamide in food is nevertheless considered to be possibly carcinogenic. Acrylamide is released during the baking and frying of potatoes, bread, grains and yes, even when roasting coffee beans.
Acrylamide and Coffee
During the roasting of all types of coffee beans, acrylamide can be formed. However, the chance of this occurring is greater with Robusta coffee beans than with Arabica beans and regular coffee contains lower amounts of acrylamide than surrogate and instant coffee. Should you therefore skip your cup of coffee? Wieke van der Vossen, Food Safety expert at the Nutrition Centre*, says no: “Coffee fits into a healthy diet. A few cups of coffee a day is fine. It even has a positive effect on your health. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes”. She recommends cutting down on fries, cookies and crisps because these are the main sources of acrylamide.
Read more about Acrylamide and a healthy diet on the Nutrition Center page
*Source: Article by Wieke van der Vossen
