Mary Ellen Camire, professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Maine, has some good news about french fries. Those made with the new potato varieties AF4296-3 and Easton have much lower levels of a probable carcinogen than those made with the popular Russet Burbank variety.
Acrylamide is a probable carcinogen in fried potatoes. During the frying process the chemical forms from sugars and an amino acid that are naturally in potatoes.“It took years to convince consumers to switch from whole milk to low-fat or skim milk. Hopefully changing consumer acceptance of these fries will not take as long.”MARY ELLEN CAMIRE
For those envisioning the safer-to-eat, golden brown, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside fries with a sprinkle of sea salt and a splash of vinegar, hold that thought. The new spud varieties don’t turn golden brown when they’re fried. They turn whitish.
Camire says they still have the crispy texture, familiar flavor and smell of freshly cooked french fries. Forty-seven tater taste testers testified to that — rating the aroma, taste and texture of fries made with AF4296-3 and Easton potato varieties similar to Russet Burbank.
But they rated the whitish color of the new varieties significantly lower. An education or promotion campaign is likely needed to let the public know about the merits of the less-than-golden fry, says Camire, who conducted the pilot study with colleagues, including Gregory Porter, who heads the UMaine potato breeding and variety development program.
“Acrylamide is found in many foods that are baked, roasted or fried, but since frying is the most popular method for cooking potatoes, we wanted consumers to have a safer alternative developed by traditional breeding practices,” says Camire.