It has been more than seven years since Swedish researchers first reported that they had found a link between acrylamide and cancer in laboratory rats. But a survey released this week shows that consumers are still unaware of the chemical. FoodNavigator-USA.com tracks the developments in research and legislation since 2002.
Created by CScottThomas on Sep 4, 2009
Last updated: 03/10/10 at 03:37 PM
The majority of US consumers are unaware of acrylamide even as major North American governments are taking action to deal with the suspected carcinogen, says new consumer research.
http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Public-Concerns/Research-shows-US-consumers-unaware-of-acrylamide
The European Union tables a proposal to add acrylamide to a list of Substances of Very High Concern.
http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/EU-proposal-to-add-acrylamide-to-hazardous-chemical-list
The US Food and Drug Administration considers issuing guidelines on acrylamide content in food and publishes a notice in the Federal Register seeking comments from industry on the issue.
http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/FDA-considering-industry-guidelines-for-acrylamide
Health Canada adds acrylamide to the government’s list of toxic substances.
http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Public-Concerns/Canada-adds-acrylamide-to-toxic-substance-list
Dietary intakes of acrylamide are not related to increased risks of brain cancer, says a new study from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Acrylamide-has-no-link-to-brain-cancer-risk-Study
Dietary intakes of acrylamide are not related to increased risks of lung cancer, says a new study from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Dietary-acrylamide-not-linked-to-lung-cancer-risk-Study
Purac develops a new calcium lactate product which it claims can reduce acrylamide in snacks by up to 80 per cent without affecting crispiness and taste.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Product-Categories/Cereals-and-bakery-preparations/New-Purac-product-cuts-acrylamide-formation
Dietary intakes of acrylamide are not related to increased risks of breast cancer, says a new study from Harvard.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Product-Categories/Cultures-enzymes-yeast/Acrylamide-not-linked-to-breast-cancer-in-women-Study
Fermenting wheat flour with yeast helps reduce the levels of a precursor to acrylamide by almost 90 per cent, suggests a new study from Denmark.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Yeast-fermentation-helps-cut-acrylamide-in-bakery-study
Heinz, Frito-Lay, Kettle Foods and Lance Inc agree to slash levels of the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide in their potato chips and French fries, settling a lawsuit against them.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Chip-companies-settle-acrylamide-lawsuit
Increased dietary intakes of acrylamide could raise the risk of kidney cancer by 59 per cent, says a new study from the Netherlands.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Acrylamide-linked-to-higher-kidney-cancer-risk
Addition of the common food additives L-cysteine, glycine and L-lysine may inhibit the formation of acrylamide in potato products, suggests new research from Belgium.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Efficacy-of-common-additives-against-acrylamide-gains-more-support
Manufacturers of bakery products looking to reduce levels of acrylamide can tap into a range of solutions, but polyphenols may be the most promising, suggests a new review.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Polyphenols-may-be-the-key-to-low-acrylamide-bakery
The CIAA includes asparaginase in the new version of its Acrylamide Toolbox, a move seen to validate the efforts of companies that have developed commercial solutions using the acrylamide-reducing enzyme.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/Asparaginase-validated-by-CIAA-in-Acrylamide-Toolbox
DSM announces that its Preventase acrylamide-reducing enzyme is the first to be used in retail products, with a Christmas biscuit manufacturer planning to launch biscuits with 70 per cent less acrylamide in German supermarkets.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/DSM-claims-end-product-first-for-acrylamide-reducing-enzyme
Novozymes launches an asparaginase enzyme aimed at reducing the formation of acrylamide called Acrylaway - another landmark along the road to reducing levels of the carcinogen in baked and fried foods.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Product-Categories/Cultures-enzymes-yeast/Novozymes-targets-acrylamide-reduction-with-Acrylaway
DSM receives regulatory go-ahead for the use of Preventase in the US, gaining GRAS certification and becoming the first enzyme available to eliminate 90 per cent of acrylamide in baked goods.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Product-Categories/Cultures-enzymes-yeast/DSM-gains-GRAS-for-Preventase-counters-safety-fears
Dutch politicians call on government to set maximum consumption limits for acrylamide, potentially leading to legislation that would force processors to reduce the potential carcinogen in their products.
http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Formulation/Politicians-raise-acrylamide-scare-in-Holland
Netherlands-based DSM publishes the full genome for the fungus Aspergillus niger used to produce a range of enzymes and other compounds for the food industry.
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/DSM-publishes-fungus-genome-to-help-R-D-into-enzymes
In July the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) releases its most comprehensive report on acrylamide, posting a database of 2,500 foods and their acrylamide content.
http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/FDA-produces-most-extensive-list-of-acrylamide-content-in-foods
California withdraws proposed rules that would have required food manufacturers to place acrylamide warning labels on certain products.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Legislation/California-withdraws-proposed-acrylamide-warning-rules
UK scientists find citric acid and soy protein hydrolysate can reduce acrylamide formation.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/UK-food-scientists-analyse-acrylamide-tools-for-food-industry
The state of California sues nine top food manufacturers over their reluctance to issue warnings that some popular snacks could contain the potential cancer-causing chemical.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/California-sues-food-firms-over-acrylamide
The FDA says it will review a new WHO report, which confirmed that high levels of the carcinogen acrylamide are still being found in 7000 food items, particularly French fries, potato crisps and coffee.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/FDA-looks-into-WHO-s-acrylamide-report
DSM claims to have designed a way to eliminate acrylamide from bakery products by applying genomics technology to degrade the free amino acid L-asparagine.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/New-DSM-tech-claims-to-eliminate-acrylamide
European research into the potential carcinogen acrylamide receives a massive injection of cash to boost the biggest international project to date on toxic substances formed when food is heated.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/EU-funding-to-up-acrylamide-awareness
Food scientists at the Swiss Official Food Control Authority and the School of Hotel Management in Zurich set out to prepare French fries in oil and in ovens, with the ultimate aim of achieving 'optimum culinary quality combined with a minimum acrylamide content'.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Swiss-food-scientists-cook-up-low-acrylamide-fries
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should require food manufacturers to limit the amount of the potential carcinogen acrylamide in their products, in the first call of this type to US food manufacturers.
http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Formulation/CSPI-calls-for-action-on-acrylamide
Food producers and retailers need to carefully monitor the issue of acrylamide in food in light of conflicting health warnings about the possible effects of this substance, according to an international law firm.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/Acrylamide-in-food-the-clock-is-ticking
Scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) say they have found no compelling evidence that acrylamide, when consumed in foods such as French fries and bread, poses a risk of human cancer.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Acrylamide-US-group-refutes-danger
The US Food and Drug Administration publishes its initial, and incomplete, investigations into the presence of acrylamide in certain US foods.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/US-acrylamide-findings
Research from Procter & Gamble reveals how acrylamide is formed, and suggests that there may be more appropriate methods of preventing the formation of cancer-causing chemical acrylamide than simply cooking food at lower temperatures.
http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Food-Alerts/Acrylamide-getting-to-the-root-of-the-problem
German researchers have found traces of the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide, in coffee, although not in as high concentrations as in fatty foods such as potato crisps, french fries or bread.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/Acrylamide-found-in-roasted-coffee-beans
Two California environmental groups say they will sue the nation's top sellers of French fries over acrylamide warnings, giving the first hint of the chemical's impact on the food industry.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/French-fry-manufacturers-in-US-face-legal-action-over-acrylamide
Bread, biscuits, crisps and french fries, foods frequently eaten by millions of people around the world, contain alarmingly high quantities of a cancer-causing chemical, according to Swedish research.
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Bread-biscuits-and-crisps-could-be-causing-cancer
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