A bulletin for the Australian Food Industry May 2002
Contents: Salmonella in chocolate | Hazards in international trade | Children and microbial foodborne illness | International spread of foodborne illness | Sanitizers and fresh produce | Supplement: Acrylamide detection in starchy foods
Acrylamide detection in starchy foods
The Swedish National Food Administration (SNFA) announced on 24 April that acrylamide, which is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals, had been found at elevated levels in starch containing foods cooked at high temperatures. Similar studies commissioned urgently by the UK Food Standards Agency confirmed these findings.
The relevance of these studies is not clear and as the Food Standards Agency has pointed out, "it is likely that any risks from acrylamide are not new and we have probably been exposed to them in foods for many generations."
The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) is taking the results of the British and Swedish studies seriously and is keeping a watching brief on international developments in this issue.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening an expert consultation in June in Switzerland to determine the extent of any public health risk involved by the presence of reported levels of acrylamide in foods. Dr Peter Varelis of Food Science Australia will attend this consultation.
Scientists at Food Science Australia have developed a method to measure acrylamide in starchy foods and any manufacturers who wish to inform themselves of the possible presence of acrylamide in their products are invited to contact Dr Varelis. The mechanistic pathway which leads to the formation of acrylamide in food is not known but the level appears to increase with the temperature at which the food is cooked.
Contact: Dr Peter Varelis, Food Science Australia (02) 9490 8459
Food Science Australia
PO Box 52, North Ryde 1670. Tel +61 2 9490 8397 Fax +61 2 9490 8499
Email enquiries@csiro.au