In the summer, we were approached by TV Markíza to talk on the show Reflex about acrylamide and its content in coffee. Today we will look deeper into the topic and bring more data and research that didn't fit into the report.
What is acrylamide? It is a chemical substance that is formed when carbohydrates are exposed to high temperatures, usually 120°C and more (Maillard reaction). Acrylamide can therefore be found, for example, in fried and baked foods like bread, potatoes, cereals, chips, biscuits, but also in coffee, since coffee also contains carbohydrates. And since acrylamide in high amounts causes cancer, it would definitely be a problem for us coffee lovers if it were found in coffee in high amounts.
So I started researching this topic and found two interesting studies, which I will briefly summarize here. I found out that the maximum allowed amount of acrylamide is 0.2 mg per 1kg of human weight. The Polish Instytut Żywności i Żywienia (National Food and Nutrition Institute) examined 42 different types of coffee, whole bean, ground, instant, and coffee substitutes (like chicory).
The most acrylamide was found in substitutes at 800µg per 1kg, which is still 3x less than the average value for potato chips and 8x less than in butter cookies.
This was followed by instant coffee with 358µg/kg and whole bean with 180µg/kg.
Scientists found that there is no difference in acrylamide content between arabica and robusta, while also finding a relationship that the darker the coffee is roasted, the significantly higher the proportion of acrylamides it has.
I also found an interesting number in the research of the Institute of Food Science, Technology and Nutrition in Madrid. Since no one drinks, for example, 20g of coffee as such, but a beverage made from it, scientists from this institute looked at how much acrylamide is directly in a cup of coffee. And they found that the content was on average around 20 µg per liter of beverage.
I think it is very unlikely that a person would drink even a liter of coffee a day, and even if they did, they would still not even come close to exceeding the maximum allowed amount of acrylamide.
I therefore consider the myth busted.
Without a doubt, we can (but only freshly roasted and freshly ground) continue to consider coffee a superfood loaded with antioxidants like flavonoids, or chlorogenic acid, and even caffeine itself is strongly antiseptic.
Watch the report on the show Reflex, where we talk about Acrylamide in coffee too.
