Fish and chips
A customer looks at the battered fish at the Quality Fish Bar in north London May 22, 2012. Reuters/Eddie Keogh

People who love to eat crispy food should take caution from now on. The latest study conducted by British government's Food Standards Agency (FSA) reveals that highly crispy or burnt food contains high amounts of cancer-causing toxin called acrylamide.

In the study, the researchers at the FSA measured the amount of acrylamide in chips, toast and a roasted potato. The team's findings suggest that there is a need to roast potatoes and cook chips to only "a light golden colour" and that bread should be toasted to "the lightest colour acceptable," Goodfood Australia reports.

The researchers found that the level of toxicity in the potatoes and chips increased with the level of their crispiness. The same was found to be true for toast; the darker the colour, the higher the amount of acrylamide in it.

According to the researchers, acrylamide is formed as a result of a reaction between the sugar, amino acids and water found in a particular food product -- in this case, potato and bread. The reaction occurs and a toxic chemical is formed when the food product in question is heated to temperatures above 120 degree Celsius.

The FSA recorded 490 microgrammes of acrylamide per kilogramme of roasted potatoes. The recorded amount was 80 times higher than what was recorded in the palest batch of roasted potatoes. Meanwhile, the researchers found 1052 microgrammes of acrylamide per kilogramme in the batch of chips that was roasted longer. The amount is 50 times higher than what was recorded in the batch of chips cooked for a minimal time.

"The risk assessment indicates that at the levels we are exposed to from food, acrylamide could be increasing the risk of cancer," said Professor Guy Poppy of the FSA, reports The Telegraph. "We do not advise people to stop eating particular foods but... when making chips at home, they are cooked to a light golden colour."

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