A work by the Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (ISPUP) that evaluated the exposure of the Portuguese population to acrylamide present in food received the first prize for best oral communication, at the XIX Congress of Food and Nutrition (CNA), organised by the Portuguese Association of Nutrition (APN)- The conference took place on September 9th and 10th, in an online format.
Acrylamide is a contaminant resulting from food processing, which appears mainly in fried, toasted or roasted foods, subjected to high temperatures and low humidity, such as potatoes, breakfast cereals, crackers and bread. It arises from industrial processing of food as well as from preparation at home.
Why is it important to study acrylamide? “Because this is associated with a greater risk of neoplasms and peripheral neuropathy”, explains Sofia Costa, first author of the award-winning work, coordinated by Carla Lopes and Duarte Torres.
The communication prepared by the ISPUP researchers distinguished at the APN congress evaluated the individual level of exposure of the Portuguese population to this substance, which is present in various foods that we eat daily, from a sample of 5811 people who participated in The National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (IAN-AF).
The results of the work, entitled Estimation of dietary exposure to acrylamide of the Portuguese population, will be published in a subsequent article.
The ISPUP researchers Ana Catarina Carvalho, Sofia Vilela and Daniela Correia also participated in the communication, developed within the scope of the FOCAcCia project: Exposure to food additives and contaminants from food processing and packaging: Defining patterns and their effects on adiposity and cognitive function from childhood to adolescence (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031949).
