Alternative Methods – RAPID´Chromogenic Media
Bio-Rad
The US Food and Drug Administration this week published its initial, and incomplete, investigations into the presence of acrylamide in certain US foods.
In April 2002 researchers at the Swedish National Food Administration and Stockholm University reported finding the chemical acrylamide, a potential carcinogen, in a variety of fried and oven-baked foods. Since this time government and private food industry laboratories across the world have carried out a series of investigations to discover more about the formation of acrylamide in foods.
The initial Swedish research indicates that acrylamide formation is particularly associated with traditional high temperature cooking processes for certain carbohydrate-rich foods. Like other governments, the US Food and Drug Adminsistration has analysed a variety of US food products for acrylamide. The FDA presented its initial, and incomplete, data this week.
The results are exploratory, cautioned the FDA, and indicate acrylamide levels in individual purchased food products. In relation to the level of sampling that is needed to understand exposure and risk, the data cover a limited number of food categories, a limited number of products in those categories, and a limited number of brands, the FDA stated this week.
Differences in acrylamide levels between foods or even between brands at this early point in the survey do not necessarily indicate differences in exposure or potential risk that would be experienced by consumers, the FDA warned. When estimating exposure and potential risk, the FDA continued, it is important to consider the amount of the food consumed and the day to day variation in levels, in addition to the level of acrylamide measured at a particular time. The full findings are presented on the FDA website.
