Picture this: a sunny afternoon, gulls overhead, salt and vinegar in hand and that glorious box of fish and chips steaming away. The batter’s crisp. The chips are golden. Life is good.
But behind that satisfying crunch lies a bit of chemistry that’s worth knowing about.
When Crispy Turns Complicated
That irresistible golden colour comes from the Maillard reaction — the same browning magic that gives us toast, coffee, and roast potatoes. Unfortunately, it’s also responsible for creating acrylamide, a compound that forms when starches and amino acids (such as asparagine) together meet high hear - such as deep fryers at 180 °C.
Now, before you give up fried food forever - don't panic!
Occasional exposure isn't a health problem, but eating, golden or dark brown fried food more than once or twice a week does increase acrylamide intake - something public health authorities watch closely.
And it's not just acrylamide. Deep-frying also promotes oil oxidation (especially if the oil is old), generating compounds such as free radicals and aldehydes that don't exactly belong in the 'healthy' category.
Acrylamide Beyond the Fryer - A Widely Used Industrial Compound.
It's worth noting that acrylamide isn't just a by-product of frying - it's also widely used industrial chemical.
It's used to make polyacrylamide (PAM), an essential ingredient in:
• Water and wastewater treatment (as a flocculant).
• Paper and textile manufacturing optimization.
• Mining and Construction (as a soil stabilizer or additive)
• Cosmetics, electrophoresis gels, and other controlled processes
In these industrial contexts, acrylamide is used in highly regulated, contained environments under strict occupational safety and environmental standards. Its production and use are carefully monitored to minimize human and environmental exposure.
Despite its widespread use, international agencies such as the WHO, EFSA, and the UK FSA maintain continuous vigilance.
Through food safety monitoring, environmental testing, and toxicological review programs, regulators ensure that acrylamide remains controlled and monitored wherever it appears — from factory floors to frying pans.
So, while it plays an important role in many industries, the focus remains on reducing unintentional exposure — especially through our food.
The Good News - You don't have to Ditch the Dish.
Britain's favorite meal isn't doomed. You can keep the crunch and cut the chemical load with a few clever tips drawn from industry and kitchen studies.
1. Potato Storage — Start Smart
• Don’t store raw potatoes in the fridge! Cold temperatures (below ~8 °C) trigger a process called “cold sweetening,” converting starch into sugars. More sugar = more acrylamide during frying.
• Instead, store them in a cool (8–12 °C), dark, well-ventilated place, away from sunlight and moisture.
• Use fresh, low-sugar potato varieties (many commercial processors specify the variety for frying). A recent USDA study recommend red potatoes.
2. Blanching Before Frying
Pre-treating potatoes in hot water (or a brief soak) helps wash out surface sugars and asparagine — the key precursors for acrylamide. Food research labs trials have shown blanching can cut acrylamide levels by up to 70-90% without ruining flavor or texture. Just dry them well before frying.
3. Air Fryers: A Modern Miracle
Air fryers are the unsung heroes of crispy guilt-reduction. By using rapidly circulated hot
air instead of deep frying, they can:
• Reduce overall fat content
• Limit oil degradation
• Shorten frying time
• And significantly lower acrylamide formation (since surface temperatures are generally lower and cooking is more uniform).
Your kitchen stays cleaner, your arteries happier and your chips still crunch.
4. Colour Control & Oil Maintenance
• Go for golden yellow, not deep mahogany brown — darker chips generally contain more acrylamide.
• Keep frying oil fresh and properly filtered; don’t let it smoke or break down. In commercial kitchens, regular oil replacement and precise temperature control are now standard quality practices.
Balancing the Plate
Fish contains both protein and beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Chips, however are best
enjoyed occasionally rather than daily. A balanced plate might include smaller chip portions, extra peas or salad, and lighter frying options.
It's not about denial ; it's about smarter frying science.
ESSLAB: Behind the Scenes of Safer Frying
While consumers tweak recipes and chefs adjust temperatures, laboratories across the UK and beyond work on the other side of the equation: accurate acrylamide measurement.
That’s where ESSLAB plays a vital role.
ESSLAB supplies Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) for acrylamide, giving analytical laboratories the reliable standards they need to:
• Calibrate instruments
• Validate testing methods
• Ensure traceable, accurate quantification
These CRMs underpin regulatory compliance, food safety testing, and research into mitigation strategies and environmental monitoring.
So, while your local fish and chip shop perfects the golden fry, ESSLAB quietly helps the world measure and manage the chemistry behind the crunch.
The Takeaway (Pun Intended)
• Fish and chips: iconic, delicious, and fine in moderation.
• Acrylamide: a valuable industrial compound under strict control — but also a by-product of high-temperature cooking that requires vigilance.
• Global regulators: continually monitor its presence in food and the environment to safeguard public health.
• Mitigation: smarter potato selection and storage, blanching, air frying, and oil management can dramatically reduce harmful compounds.
• Measurement matters: with ESSLAB’s certified acrylamide reference materials, food labs ensure their analyses — and public safety data — stay rock-solid.
Details of our extensive range of acrylamide standards are HERE
So next time you tuck into a portion, remember there’s a little chemistry in every chip, and a lot of science working quietly to make your guilty pleasure a bit less guilty!
References:
FSA Acrylamides (https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/acrylamide)
EPA Method 8316 (SW-846): Acrylamide, Acrylonitrile and Acrolein by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHAhttps://oehha.ca.gov/sites/default/files/media/downloads/crnr/acrylamideintakereport.pdf)
Food & Drug Administration (Link)
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/acrylamide
Acrylamide Fact Sheet: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/acrylamide
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