New research released by the British government suggests that burnt toast not only tastes bad, it's hazardous to your health, CBS News reported.
Researchers found that burnt, crispy foods are linked to an increased risk of developing cancer. According to the Food Standards Agency, the link is acrylamide, a chemical produced naturally as a result of cooking starch-rich food at high temperatures, such as when baking or frying. It is also likely to be produced by grilling and roasting food.
"Some foods are rich in acrylamide due to the way they are produced. Further cooking of carbohydrate rich foods, for example the grilling of bread to make toast, causes more acrylamide to be produced. This browning process is indicative of acrylamide production; levels are higher in well-cooked dark brown chips compared to lighter brown cooked chips," according to the report.
The duration and temperature of cooking determines the amount of acrylamide produced; long durations and high temperatures form more acrylamide than short durations and lower temperatures.
For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from 50 households. They took food samples from each household and measured their acrylamide levels in a lab, Yahoo Health reported. They found that nine micrograms per kilogram of acrylamide in the palest piece of toast, while the darkest piece had 167. Fries contained more than 1,000 micrograms per kilogram of acrylamide.
"Many foods and food groups have the potential to form acrylamide on cooking," Guy Poppy, chief scientific advisor to the Food Standards Agency, who wrote the paper, told Yahoo Health. "You should not roast at too high a temperature or for too long to keep the levels lower."
Researchers said regularly eating food containing the cancer-causing natural by-product of cooking process can increase the risk of cancer. Other possible, but unlikely, consequences are damage to the nervous and reproductive systems.
