<\/p>\n
Mineral oils (MOH) are complex mixtures derived from crude oil. They consist of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH).<\/p>\n
Mineral oils can be found in food at various stages of food production, either intentionally (food additives and pesticides) or unintentionally (lubricants, cleaning products, etc.)<\/p>\n
Printing inks, adhesives, additives and processing aids used in paper, cardboard and plastic packaging, as well as jute and sisal bags, contain MOH. Cardboard and packaging, particularly those made from recycled paper, remain one of the main sources of mineral oil migration into food.<\/p>\n
EFSA considered exposure to MOSH to be of concern and exposure to MOAH to be of particular concern.<\/p>\n
This ANSES opinion summarises the main points of the EFSA report published in 2012. It also cites the maximum levels proposed in the 3rd<\/sup> draft of the 22nd<\/sup> German Ordinance, specifying that these limits are not currently in force and that the BfR is currently working on a 4th<\/sup> version of its 22nd<\/sup> Ordinance.<\/p>\n ANSES recommends:<\/p>\n – Validating existing analytical methods (setting up inter-laboratory testing)<\/p>\n – Better characterising the chemical composition of MOH by adopting more selective analytical strategies (GCxGC, multidimensional or high-resolution mass spectrometry)<\/p>\n – Obtaining additional data on food contamination by MOH from recycled paper and cardboard packaging (data on fatty foods in direct contact with recycled paper and cardboard packaging, MOH quantification in recycled paper and cardboard packaging)<\/p>\n – Conducting further studies on the toxicity of MOH (bioaccumulation potential of MOSH in rats (Barp et al. 2017) and genotoxic and mutagenic properties of certain MOAH). Expert committees believe it is a priority to reduce food contamination by MOAH.<\/p>\n – Limiting consumer exposure to MOH, and particularly to MOAH, and proposes to:<\/p>\n \u00d8 Use printing inks, adhesives, additives and processing aids free of MOAH in the manufacturing process of paper and cardboard packaging.<\/p>\n \u00d8 Limit the MOAH content in recycled fibres (magazines, newspapers and other graphic papers, the main sources of MOAH)<\/p>\n \u00d8 Conduct studies to identify the stages of MOH contamination during the recycling process (sorting, pulp manufacturing, etc.).<\/p>\n \u00d8 Use \u00ab barrier materials \u00bb to limit the migration of MOH from packaging into food. Numerous studies have been conducted, and the results have shown good effectiveness as a migration barrier for bi-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) bags and acrylate-coated polypropylene bags (for dry foods, long-term storage, room temperature), for bags made of a double layer of polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate (no migration was observed beyond the LOD), and for the application of various coatings (PET, acrylate, polyamide, etc.) directly on paper and cardboard packaging. Other barriers are being studied or have been mentioned: starch-based barriers, the incorporation of activated carbon acting as an absorbent in the packaging.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n