A taste of grilled without carcinogen, is it possible?

The emergence of carcinogen acrylamide our grilled food is no longer inevitable, according to Norwegian researchers. Their technique uses lactobacilli to reduce by 90% the formation of the toxic molecule after cooking.

Acrylamide gives a good taste of grilled foods produced industrially as chips, roasted coffee or toast. Normally it is formed naturally during the cooking in our own kitchen, changing their color, taste and consistency. The brownish layer of toasted and crisp feature is thanks to him. Unfortunately, acrylamide is carcinogenic and probably reprotoxic ...

A Norwegian company named Zeracryl AS (who must love the taste of the famous toast of the country border) became interested in this public health problem. She has developed a method that would greatly reduce the production of acrylamide during the manufacturing of processed foods, and this by changing the food before cooking.

To understand, let's first chemical reaction that comes in. Acrylamide is formed when the amino acid asparagine, which binds to simple sugars such as glucose or fructose as a result of a temperature above 120 ° C. This so-called Maillard reaction (named after the French chemist who discovered it) therefore requires the presence of all these elements. If the temperature is made by cooking, the other compounds are naturally present in foods. It would suffice to eliminate one to avoid the formation of carcinogenic molecule.

Roasted coffee also contains acrylamide. Credits DR

A taste of lactic acid and more

This comes in a friendly bacteria, called Lactobacillus. Present in our intestines, it helps us digest food and fight against the invasion of other pathogenic bacteria. Facultative anaerobic (that is to say that she can live in the presence but also in the absence of oxygen), it can transform simple sugars (lactose but also glucose and fructose) into another compound, lactic acid.

Norwegian scientists have had the idea to soak the food in a bath culture of Lactobacillus specially designed for the occasion. The surface of the food directly in contact with the bacteria is cleared of sugar it contained. From their experience, 10-15 minutes of immersion is sufficient to reduce by 90% acrylamide formation after cooking.

Awesome! But the story does not say if the taste remains the same ... If the subtle taste of grilled disappears, the process will ultimately be very unattractive. Small and large food industry (Nestle, Hoff, Maarud) and the Norwegian research institute Nofima who are all involved in the project certainly try to go further.

The chips are the champions of acrylamide levels. © Wikimedia