Research undertaken by the Korea University, Namyang Dairy Products and the Korea Food Research Institute suggests taurine could be used to combat acrylamide.

The researchers discovered taurine, a key ingredient of several energy drinks that is a derivative of the amino acid, cysteine, could reduce acrylamide in French fries by as much as 96 per cent.

The findings were published in Food and Research International which stated: “Thus, taurine, when used in a narrow range of reasonably low levels, is a candidate to inhibit acrylamide formation during the frying process.”

Fries need to be soaked in a taurine solution prior to frying.

Acrylamide is a by-product of the Maillard reaction and has been proven to cause cancer in rats when exposed to high doses.