EDITOR’S SUMMARY: Acrylamide isn’t listed on nutrition labels, but it forms in some of the most beloved foods every time they hit high heat. The modern obsession with crunch—rooted in sensory psychology and food science—can unintentionally steer you toward hidden chemical exposures. As food trends increasingly chase texture to win over consumers, the methods used to deliver that satisfying bite may come with unexpected risks. With mounting concerns over acrylamide’s links to cancer, neurological damage, and inflammation, it’s time to take a closer look at what’s really happening behind that dark, browned finish.
By Sarah Campise Hallier
That satisfying crunch of a golden fry. The crisp snap of a perfectly toasted bread slice. These sounds don’t just signal a delicious bite—they trigger something deeper in your brain. Studies show that attraction to crispy textures isn’t just about taste; it’s a primal response hardwired into your senses. Lurking beneath that crusty perfection is a chemical reaction you might not expect, and one that could pose long-term health risks. Acrylamide—invisible byproducts of high-heat cooking—have been linked to potential health concerns, yet they hide in some of the most-loved foods.
Fascination with crispy and crunchy foods extends beyond preference. It’s a multisensory experience engaging your senses of sound, touch, and sight. The act of biting into a crunchy item produces audible cues that enhance your perception of freshness and satisfaction. This phenomenon, sometimes referred to as the “music of mastication,” suggests that the sounds produced during eating play a significant role in your enjoyment of food. According to Alan Hirsch, M.D., a researcher in the field of sensory responses:
“Humans love crunchy, noisy snacks, that loud rattling that travels to our inner ear via air and bone conduction and helps us identify what it is we’re consuming.”
Studies have demonstrated that auditory feedback while consuming crunchy foods can influence your sense of wholesomeness and quality. For instance, experiments where participants’ chewing sounds were manipulated revealed that louder crunching noises led to higher ratings of fulfillment. From an evolutionary standpoint, the desire for crunchy textures may have developed as an indicator of food quality and safety. Crispness in fruits and vegetables—like carrots or apples—often signals ripeness and nutritional value, while a soggy or limp texture can indicate spoilage or decline. Additionally, the act of chewing crunchy foods requires more effort, which can lead to increased feelings of satiety and satisfaction. This mechanical aspect of eating not only aids in digestion but also provides sensory pleasure, reinforcing your desire for such textures.
Understanding these psychological and evolutionary factors sheds light on why crispy foods are so appealing and how they have become integral to modern eating habits. This insight also highlights how food manufacturers leverage the appeal of crunch to drive sales. As Whole Foods Market’s senior vice president of center store merchandising, sourcing, and product development said, “‘Crunch’ is one of the trends that I’m excited about.” The market even identified crunch as its “texture of the moment” in the 2025 annual food trends report. However, this natural craving typically leads to eating foods prepared at high temperatures—like fried or baked snacks—which can increase exposure to harmful compounds like acrylamide. This chemical develops when carbohydrate-rich foods are heated above 248°F—during frying, barbecuing, baking, roasting, or air-frying. The longer and hotter the cooking process, the more acrylamide tends to form. The chemical reaction responsible requires both heat and low moisture—conditions you won’t find in raw or boiled foods.
From Crunch to Carcinogen
When a sugar like glucose reacts with an amino acid called asparagine under high heat, a chemical reaction takes place. This process gives browned food its flavor and color but also produces acrylamide as a byproduct. The real question: what happens once acrylamide enters your system? Once you eat a food containing acrylamide, your body quickly absorbs it. From there, your liver works to break it down—ideally using a detoxifying compound called glutathione, which helps neutralize harmful byproducts. While acrylamide occurs in everyday foods, research has raised concerns about their long-term effects:
- Cancer risks: Studies in lab animals have found that high doses of acrylamide increases the risk of cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies acrylamide as a probable human carcinogen based on animal studies, though more research is needed to confirm its effects on humans.
- Neurological effects: Acrylamide exposure has also been linked to nervous system damage. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes that high levels of exposure have been connected to nerve and coordination issues, as well as muscle weakness. Studies suggest that chronic ingestion may contribute to neurological stress and inflammation, factors linked to cognitive decline.
- Aging and inflammation: Acrylamide may contribute to advanced glycation end products, compounds that promote oxidative stress, cellular aging, and inflammation—all of which are linked to premature aging, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
While acrylamide is difficult to avoid in diets that rely on high-heat cooking or processed foods, understanding their health implications can help you make informed choices about how to prepare and consume your meals. It is most commonly found in French fries and potato chips (which contain some of the highest levels), toast (especially when browned or burnt), coffee (due to the roasting of beans), baked goods (such as cookies, crackers, and breakfast cereals), roasted nuts, and dried fruit. And from the National Cancer Institute, “Acrylamide and Cancer Risk”:
“Studies in rodent models have found that acrylamide exposure increases the risk for several types of cancer. In the body, acrylamide is converted to a compound called glycidamide, which causes mutations in and damage to DNA. However, a large number of epidemiologic studies (both case-control and cohort studies) in humans have found no consistent evidence that dietary acrylamide exposure is associated with the risk of any type of cancer. One reason for the inconsistent findings from human studies may be the difficulty in determining a person’s acrylamide intake based on their reported diet.”
“People are exposed to substantially more acrylamide from tobacco smoke than from food. People who smoke have three to five times higher levels of acrylamide exposure markers in their blood than do non-smokers. Exposure from other sources is likely to be significantly less than that from food or smoking, but scientists do not yet have a complete understanding of all sources of exposure. Regulations are in place to limit exposure in workplaces where acrylamide may be present, such as industrial settings that use polyacrylamide and acrylamide copolymers.”
The Power to Pivot
Recognizing the dangers is the first step, and the good news is that simple cooking changes can drastically reduce acrylamide intake—without giving up crispy textures altogether. By making small adjustments in cooking techniques and food choices, you can enjoy that satisfying texture while reducing exposure to harmful compounds. As awareness of acrylamide grows, food manufacturers have also begun positioning low-acrylamide products as healthier options, using them as a selling point for increasingly health-conscious shoppers. And this trend isn’t just in the United States. Local authorities in each member state of the European Union have the authority to ask food and beverage manufacturers what they’re doing to reduce acrylamide.
Companies are urged to adhere to the ALARA principle, “as low as is reasonably achievable,” which means that even if a product produces less acrylamide than the allowable amount, the manufacturer will be encouraged to further reduce acrylamide levels. The European food industry group FoodDrinkEurope, a member of the European Food Safety Authority, developed a “toolbox” in collaboration with national authorities and the European Commission to outline strategies for reducing acrylamide levels in processed foods.
Managing acrylamide formation doesn’t require an overhaul—just a better handle on time, temperature, and ingredients. A few intentional choices can go a long way in keeping your meals both satisfying and safer. Here are some smart cooking hacks to cut acrylamide:
- Decrease the heat: Cooking at lower temperatures for longer periods helps reduce acrylamide formation. Instead of roasting or baking at high heat, try slow-roasting or steaming.
- Avoid over-browning: The darker and crispier your food, the more acrylamide it likely contains. Aim for a light golden color rather than deep brown or charred edges.
- Soak potatoes before cooking: Research shows that soaking raw potato slices in water for 15–30 minutes before frying or roasting can significantly lower acrylamide levels.
- Air frying vs. deep frying: While air frying uses less oil, it still exposes food to high temperatures, which can lead to acrylamide formation. If using an air fryer, opt for lower temperature settings.
- Baking soda trick: Adding a small amount of baking soda to dough or batter reduces acrylamide formation by increasing the pH level.
Beyond how you cook, what you cook matters too. Choosing the right ingredients can significantly lower acrylamide exposure while still keeping texture and flavor in play:
- Swap out high-starch foods: Instead of white bread, go for sprouted grain or sourdough. These options tend to form fewer acrylamide when toasted due to their lower levels of reducing sugars and a different chemical profile.
- Choose raw or lightly roasted nuts and seeds: Dark-roasted nuts have higher acrylamide content.
- Opt for fresh or steamed: Instead of potato chips or fries, try fresh vegetable sticks, roasted chickpeas, or dehydrated kale chips.
- Brewing matters: Coffee is a major acrylamide source, but darker roasts tend to contain less than light roasts because acrylamide forms early in roasting and degrades with longer exposure to heat.
If your mind craves crunch, get creative. Experiment with different consistencies without relying on high-heat cooking. Consider incorporating raw seeds and nuts into salads, cottage cheese, or yogurt. Crispy toppings like air-puffed quinoa or coconut flakes can also enhance your dishes. Give dehydrating a try, as homemade veggie chips retain crunch without needing high temperatures. Freezing works wonders too, as foods like grapes or blueberries develop a pleasant, crisp bite when frozen.
Innovations and Actions to Lower Acrylamide Risk
As awareness of acrylamide grows, scientists, food manufacturers, and home cooks are exploring new ways to reduce this harmful compound without sacrificing mouthfeel. One interesting method is enzyme treatment, where the enzyme asparaginase is used in production to break down asparagine, a key precursor to acrylamide. While this process currently uses a form of asparaginase that is questioned by most health-conscience aficionados, there are several ways that natural forms can be introduced into your diet. Noted from ScienceDirect: Food Chemistry: X, “Recent advances in L-Asparaginase enzyme production and formulation development for acrylamide reduction during food processing”:
“Novel liquid and lyophilized formulations are developed to enhance stability and activity of the enzyme under different conditions. These developments present a promising approach to enzymatically mitigate acrylamide formation during food processing.”
Consume fermented foods: Probiotics help break down asparagine in the gut, especially when taken with or just before a meal to withstand stomach acid. Try kimchi (a traditional Korean dish), sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), miso (a Japanese fermented soybean paste), or kefir (a fermented milk drink). If you’re into natural fermentation, certain fungal and bacterial strains can be cultured at home. These microbes not only enhance flavor and preservation, but they may also help reduce acrylamide formation by breaking down precursors like sugars and asparagine before cooking. Sourdough starters, koji, and specific lactic acid bacteria are examples worth exploring.
Food manufacturers are also experimenting with cooking oils and starch alternatives that limit acrylamide formation. For example, research has found that frying potatoes in extra virgin olive oil instead of standard vegetable oil can significantly reduce acrylamide levels due to its antioxidant properties. Additionally, some companies are developing low-sugar potato varieties, as sugar plays a key role in the chemical reaction that produces acrylamide. Vacuum frying, a method that uses lower temperatures and reduced oxygen levels, can produce crunchier snacks with significantly lower acrylamide content. Others are turning to high-pressure processing (HPP) to achieve crunch through texture manipulation rather than extreme heat. Keep in mind that HPP has its drawbacks—it can’t fully eliminate certain types of microbes, potentially turning them into risky bacteria.
In home kitchens, low-temperature air frying and dehydrating are already proving to be useful alternatives. Imagine if smarter appliances were designed specifically to minimize acrylamide formation. Future ovens, toasters, and air fryers might one day come equipped with acrylamide detection sensors, alerting users when foods are approaching harmful levels of browning. Research also indicates that dietary protein levels may influence your body’s response to acrylamide exposure. In animal studies, subjects on low-protein diets exhibited adverse reactions when exposed to acrylamide, suggesting that protein intake could play a role in mitigating its toxicity. However, further studies are necessary to fully understand the relationship between dietary protein and acrylamide toxicity in humans. Stated in “Protein malnourishment: a predisposing factor in acrylamide toxicity in pregnant rats”:
“Exposure to acrylamide (3-10 mg/kg body weight) was found to be lethal for protein-deficient pregnant rats as evidenced by their increased mortality. It had no such effect on the normal protein diet fed pregnant and nonpregnant rats and the protein-malnourished nonpregnant rats.”
Ultimately, safeguarding your health starts with understanding how everyday foods affect your body over time. The crunch you love doesn’t have to come with compromises or unseen risks. By making thoughtful choices—from ingredient selection to cooking methods—you create a balance that honors both flavor and safety. This isn’t about restriction; it’s about empowerment, turning knowledge into action that protects your well-being without dulling life’s simple pleasures. As the landscape of food and health continues to evolve, the question remains: how will you reshape your relationship with the foods you enjoy—and make every bite count for the better?
Changing how you approach food is less about perfection and more about progress. Every small swap, every moment of mindfulness in the kitchen adds up—creating a ripple effect that extends beyond your plate. You don’t have to overhaul your diet overnight; even tiny shifts toward safer cooking practices can make a meaningful difference. Embracing this gradual process turns eating into an act of care, not just consumption, reminding you that the power to protect your health is in your hands with each meal you put together.
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Published on July 17, 2025.
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