Acrylamide (H2C=CH-NH2) has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a probable human carcinogen. In rats it has been found that acrylamide has a carcinogenic potency similar to that of other carcinogens present in food, but its intake with food seems to be higher. Limited studies carried out in humans provide no evidence of cancer risk from occupational exposure to acrylamide. Acrylamide is generated in food from food components during heat treatment (baking and frying) as a result of the Maillard reaction between free amino acid aspargine and carbonyl groups of reducing sugars. Foods rich in both of these precursors are derived from plants nsuch as potatoes and cereals but not from meat and fish.
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