Schokotest Further mineral oils in chocolate in numerous Advent calendars

For the coming Advent season, the LGL examined in November and November Advent calendar on their contamination with mineral oil constituents. And again, the testers were successful.

Mineral oil components can reach food in many different ways. A relevant contribution is the use of food packaging made from recycled paper. Here are mineral oils v. a. registered by daily newspapers, which serve as recycling raw material, and with whose printing mineral oil-containing colors are used. Mineral oil-based inks can also be used to print on food packaging made of paper and cardboard (both recycled paper and virgin fiber). In addition, there are some mineral oils that are used for a variety of purposes in papermaking. In the field of food packaging jute bags for the transport of z. Cocoa beans, which may be impregnated with mineral oils. In addition to contamination from packaging, there are other sources such as lubricating oils from machines used to harvest and produce food, or processing aids for mineral oil-based foods. Finally, mineral oils are also ubiquitous environmental contaminants, the z. B. on exhaust gases, road surfaces or tire wear in the environment.

Unhealthy for children? Chocolate in the advent calendar. Image: lagom - fotolia

The mineral oil mixtures consist of linear, branched and cyclic saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH - mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons) and (mostly) alkylated aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH - mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons). You can u. a. vary in carbon number, also not all mineral oil products contain MOAH. These properties are also important for health relevance.

MOSH are accumulated in the lymph nodes, liver, spleen and adipose tissue up to a carbon number of C35. In animal experiments, damage to the liver and lymph nodes caused by MOSH has been observed. Although MOAH are not enriched, this fraction does not exclude the possibility of carcinogenic substances being included [1]..

Overview of tested advent calendars.

According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), mineral oil contamination is generally undesirable. Transitions from MOSH to food should be minimized as far as technically possible and there should be no detectable transition from MOAH to food [2].

In Article 3 of the framework Regulation on food contact materials Regulation (EC) 1935/2004, the legislator stipulates that good-manufacturing materials and articles must be manufactured in such a way that they do not, under normal or foreseeable conditions of use, dispose of any constituents in foodstuffs which are suitable for: endangering human health or causing an unacceptable change in the composition of the food. This generally formulated requirement will in future be substantiated for the transition from mineral oil components to food. A draft amendment to the National Consumer Goods Ordinance, the so-called "Mineral Oil Regulation", is intended to document the transition from MOSH and MOAH from paper and cardboard packaging to foodstuffs with limit values. However, the regulation will only apply to packaging made from recycled materials. Another draft amending the Consumer Goods Ordinance, the so-called "Printing Ink Ordinance", provides that printing inks containing mineral oil may no longer be used to print food packaging. This regulation is currently in the notification procedure of the European Commission [3].

Apart from transitions from food packaging, mineral oil contamination of foodstuffs falls within the scope of the EU Basic Regulation (Regulation (EC) 178/2002) for foodstuffs. Article 14 of that regulation prohibits the placing on the market of foods which are considered to be unsafe due to their adverse effects on health.

As part of the investigations carried out, the MOSH and MOAH contents of five advent calendars were determined. Both the chocolate and the cardboard packaging were examined (see table).

All tested packages were MOSH but no MOAH. The results were consistently used fresh fiber cartons and mineral oil-free inks. At least one of the five calendars also contained a barrier to prevent the mineral oil from passing from the package to the chocolate. In this case, the chocolate was wrapped again in aluminum foil. In another calendar, the chocolates were separated from the packaging carton by an intermediate layer which may have barrier properties.

MOSH could be determined in all chocolates. The majority of these substances belong to a fraction with a carbon number above 24 (> C24). Such substances are hardly volatile, which excludes a transition from the cardboard packaging over the steam room into the chocolate. For the fraction with a carbon number below 24 (< C24) ist eine konkrete Aussage dazu nicht möglich, denn diese leichter flüchtigen Stoffe können durchaus in das Lebensmittel diffundieren und somit auch ohne direkten Kontakt in die Schokolade gelangen. Ein möglicher, aber nicht konkret zu beziffernder Beitrag aus der Kartonverpackung (MOSH < C24), würde zum Zeitpunkt der Untersuchung für alle Proben unter dem im Entwurf der Mineralölverordnung vorgeschlagenen Grenzwert für den Übergang von MOSH (2 mg MOSH/kg Lebensmittel) liegen.

In the chocolates of three of the five calendars MOAH were detectable in low concentrations. A transition from the cardboard packaging is excluded here, since they did not contain MOAH.

The analysis results show that the manufacturers have become aware of the problem because the calendars are designed to prevent contamination of the chocolates. a. with MOAH is avoided by the cardboard packaging. However, other sources can not be safely ruled out.

The found MOSH concentrations in the chocolates do not lead to a health risk according to a toxicological assessment. Although the MOAH Group is suspected of containing carcinogenic substances, due to the lack of toxicological data, an assessment of the actual hazard potential is currently not possible.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) expects European consumers to be exposed to 0.03-0.3 mg MOSH per kg of body weight per day. Exposure to MOAH is about 20% based on MOSH, i. H. at 0.006-0.06 mg MOAH per kg body weight and day [1]. The MOSH and MOAH levels found in the chocolates tested in 2016 contribute, as in the previous year, only to a very small extent to the basic burden of the consumer, taking into account the usual amount of consumption (one piece per day, 24 days per year) Mineral oil components. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) came to an analogous conclusion on the basis of findings of the Stiftung Warentest [2].

The consumption of Advent Calender Chocolate is not a cause for concern on the basis of the available results and findings, according to the LGL.

Under food law, the levels are not objectionable. However, the results will be communicated to the competent district administrative authorities with a request to inform the manufacturers of the results, so that they can respond to the levels determined by means of preventive consumer protection and a minimization requirement for mineral oil contamination.