Tip of the Week
What is Acrylamide and what does the new EU Acrylamide legislation mean to your kitchen practices?
What is Acrylamide?
Acrylamide is a chemical substance formed by a reaction between amino acids and sugars, typically in foods with high starch content, when cooked at high temperatures such as in frying, roasting, toasting and baking. Acrylamide is now considered to be a probable genotoxic carcinogen in humans and is produced when overcooking/browning/burning starchy foods such as potatoes and bread products. There is also potential acrylamide in over-roasted coffee beans.
What does this mean to me?
The legislation requires Caterers to update their Food Safety System to document your procedures on how you will mitigate the production of acrylamide in your cooking processes. Brief your team so they know what Acrylamide is and ensure your kitchen procedures are to cook starchy foods until they are golden brown only.
Alert
Starchy foods should not be overcooked and should only be cooked to a golden yellow colour.
Weekly Food Fact
Did you know that September is National Biscuit Month. The word biscuit originates from France and means twice cooked. In September 2001, a biscuit from the Titanic fetched £3525 at an auction in London.
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