Results of acrylamide in thirty Norwegian food samples - Mattilsynet

Results of acrylamide in thirty Norwegian food
samples
Note!
These results only indicate the acrylamide levels in some products taken from some grocery
stores in the Oslo-area at the time of the sampling. The Norwegian Food Control Authority
would like to stress the fact that the samples taken do not give a complete picture of the level
of acrylamide in these food groups. Nor do the results give enough information to justify
choosing one product rather than another within the same food group. The data are not
statistically sound enough to do this. Analysis from Sweden and Great Britain also show that
the levels of acrylamide measured can vary greatly even in the same product.
Products (1)
Bread (name/producer)
Landegårdens Dampbakeri Nybakt Grovbrød/ Bakers 12
Sunt Grovbrød/ Bakehuset 41
Jegerbrød/ Goman 21
Vårt brød / Mesterbakeren 33
Grovbrød Halvstekt / Goman (baked according to
instr.)
12
Kneippbrød / Mesterbakeren 20
Rundstykker / Bakers 28
Wafer-thin crisp bread/ Crispbread
Mors flatbrød 410
Ideal Hjemmebakt Flatbrød 93
Kavli Korni Flatbrød (rye) 1500
Kavli Fullkorn Tynt Knekkebrød (rye) 310
Breakfast cereals
Nordkronen Havrenøtter / Norgesmøllene 170
Biscuits
Bixit sweet oatmeal cookies, Original/Sætre 760
Mariekjeks / Sætre 740
Level of acrylamide
(µg/kg)

Potato cakes
Berthas Store lomper 220
Viking-lompe (Ola lompe) 230
Berthas Smurte lefser 61
French fries
Hoff opphøgde poteter (frozen, prep. according to
instr.)
490
Pommes frites / Maliks 480
Pommes frites / McDonalds 370
Pommes frites / Burger King 330
Potato crisps
Maarud Potetgull, Classic Salt 1500
Familien Stangs Original Chips, lett saltet 1300
Kims Potetchips, Salt 1400
Kims Fjellchips, saltet 2000
Hakon potetchips, salt 1000
Sørlandschips, Havsalt 670
Mashed potatoes
Mills potetmos (vanlig) < 10
Potato snacks
Maarud potetskruer, salt 970
Kims French Fries, salt 200
Sampling and analytical methodology
Sampling
The Norwegian Food Control Authority has based its choice of samples on the already
published Swedish results. The food groups that were found to have the highest levels of
acrylamide, such as potato crisps, French fries, and rye-based products, were given priority.
Some products that are only found in Norway, such as lomper (potato cakes) and flatbrød
(wafer-thin crisp bread), were also analysed. Products that were chosen were picked out in
cooperation with the Federation of Norwegian Food and Drink Industry, and other relevant
groups in this sector, and were chosen so as to represent a large share of the market.

In order to get a more representative sampling, compared to what has been done earlier, three
samples were taken of the same product, but with different production dates. Inspectors of the
municipal food control authority in Oslo collected the samples.
The Norwegian Food Control Authority will continue to perform analyses of products and
food groups on the Norwegian market that, due to production processes, are suspected to
contain acrylamide.
Analytical methodology
The analyses were done by AnalyCen in Lidköping, Sweden, and with the same methods that
have recently been developed by their National Food Administration. The method utilizes
liquid chromatography coupled to two-stage mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). To confirm the
results samples were also analysed by a gas-chromatography-MS method (GC-MS). The
laboratory was accredited for analysis of acrylamide in foodstuffs by the national
accreditation authority, SWEDAC, in the middle of May this year. The limit of quantification
for the method varies between 10 and 30 µg/kg, depending on the matrices.
There is quite some uncertainty in the results, especially for products that contain a low level
of acrylamide, like bread. According to the laboratory the standard deviation is 10 %, but
close to the level of detection the uncertainty may reach 50 %.
The analyses of Norwegian foodstuffs only involve 30 products. Although there were taken
three samples of each product, but with different production dates, in order to get a more
correct picture of the situation, the results still do not represent a good enough foundation to
draw any clear conclusions. Nevertheless, the results do indicate which food groups that
contain the highest levels of acrylamide. Both Swedish and British results have shown that the
levels of acrylamide can vary in the same product with different production dates. Our
samples, although taken in order to give a more representative picture, do not permit us to
draw conclusions concerning the variability within the same product.
(1) We have chosen not to translate the name of the products, as these are brand names.
However, all the products within the same group are representatives of the same products,
but from different producers.
SNT 18.12.02