Is it true that coffee contains carcinogen [acrylamide]? Does instant coffee cause cancer?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange more coffee bean information please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

Recently, the United States has pointed out that coffee contains acrylamide (Acrylamide) can cause cancer, the news is hot, causing the public to wonder "coffee causes cancer"? What is acrylamide? Should we stop drinking coffee? Today, dietitian and coffee expert Chen Jinzhi solved the mystery for you.

The theory that coffee causes cancer stems from the fact that coffee contains acrylamide. Earlier, a court in California ruled that coffee must have a warning label "containing carcinogens", which made many people confused and worried. In recent years, studies have shown that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, but it is said that it contains carcinogens. Is coffee an enemy or a friend?.

Chen Jinzhi, a senior dietitian at Sanatorium and Hospital, said that this starts with the protagonist acrylamide.

Acrylamide is a by-product of the food manufacturing process. Acrylamide is produced when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars or starches) are cooked at high temperatures, such as baking or frying. The reason is that asparagine (Asparagine, a kind of amino acid) found in natural foods appears when it is baked or fried at high temperature and the reducing sugars (Reducing Sugar, especially glucose and fructose) in the food are browned (Maillard Reaction), that is, when it turns golden. Therefore, acrylamide is found in many daily foods, such as French fries, toast, biscuits, chocolate, Youtiao, black sugar and so on. The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety has also had a number of reports on acrylamide in the past. "

Ready-to-mill Vs. Instant formula

Coffee contains carbohydrates, which will produce a certain degree of acrylamide after roasting, and the content is also related to the degree of baking, and the acrylamide content of instant coffee is significantly higher than that of instant coffee.

"the study suggests that the more roasted coffee beans are, the lower the content of acrylamide will be. The situation of instant coffee is just the opposite. The darker the color of instant coffee powder is, the higher the content of acrylamide is. This is related to the fact that most instant coffee needs to be roasted and then dried by different heating methods. " Chen Jinzhi said.

Based on the fact that some people are not suitable for caffeine, the market has invented non-caffeinated coffee instead of drinks. do these products also contain acrylamide?

Chen Jinzhi said that most coffee substitute drinks are made from plants. Since all plants contain carbohydrates and produce acrylamide after baking, such products must contain acrylamide. And studies have shown that the content of acrylamide in these drinks is many times higher than that of coffee.

The key is the content.

Chen Jinzhi said that eating or drinking food or drink containing acrylamide is not directly equivalent to causing cancer, the key is how much it contains.

"Animal studies have found that high intake of acrylamide increases the risk of cancer, but human research is mixed and there is not enough data to suggest that acrylamide causes cancer. According to the calculation of the 2015 acrylamide safety report of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) in 2000, taking people weighing 60 kilograms as an example, taking 10,200 micrograms of acrylamide per day, if calculated net in terms of coffee, equivalent to 10,000 cups of coffee, the risk of cancer will increase by about 10%. "

Coffee category

Acrylamide content

Instant coffee (160 ml)

0.93 micrograms

Freshly ground coffee (160ml)

0.45 micrograms

Espresso (average per cup)

1.26 micrograms

)

Does ● caffeine contain propylene? Amines are alleged to contain carcinogens.

● coffee beans, like other carbohydrates, produce propylene during baking. Amine.

Beware of vegetables, potato chips and snacks

In addition to coffee, acrylamide is also consumed in the diet.

"acrylamide is ubiquitous. According to the 2013 acrylamide diet report by the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety (○), the main source of acrylamide intake in Hong Kong is actually stir-frying, accounting for 52.4% of the daily acrylamide intake, followed by cereals. Therefore, if you want to reduce acrylamide intake, it is recommended to eat less fried vegetables and more hot vegetables." Chen Jinzhi said.

Eating more fried vegetables does not mean it will cause cancer, because vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, etc., to offset bad factors. Some non-essential snacks are higher in acrylamide. Chen Jinzhi cited tests conducted by the Consumer Council and the Center for Food Safety in ○-○ that a number of potato chips contained the carcinogen acrylamide, with the highest barbecue-flavored potato chips containing as much as 3, 000 micrograms per kilogram.

Acrylamide content of coffee and daily food

Food (per kilogram)

Content per kilogram (micrograms)

Potato chips

160 to 3000

Soda cake

39 to 200

Digestive cake

170 to 250

French fries

74 to 890

Black coffee (liquid)

Less than 3 to 13

Acrylamide content of fried vegetables

Vegetables (per kilogram)

Content (micrograms)

Balsam pear, lettuce, amaranth, spinach, watercress