Acrylamide in a fried potato dish (rösti) from restaurants in Zurich, Switzerland

ABSTRACT

Rösti, a fried potato product, is a large contributor to acrylamide exposure locally in Switzerland. A survey of 55 dishes prepared by 51 restaurants in the city of Zurich showed that the average rösti contained 702 µg/kg acrylamide. By analysing the content of reducing sugars in the potatoes used for frying, it is shown that with simple measures, the exposure to acrylamide could easily be reduced by factor 2 or more, while even improving the culinary experience. Though rösti is a typical dish in the German-speaking areas in Switzerland, the result may be of general interest for fried potato products which are popular in large areas of Central Europe.

KEYWORDS:

• Acrylamide
• reducing sugar
• fried potatoes
• monitoring
• rösti
• hash browns

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Ferdinand Uehli and his co-workers from the Food Inspectorate of the city of Zurich for their assistance in selecting restaurants to invite and collecting samples. We would also like to thank the participating restaurants for their cooperation.