Cocoa producers adjusting to requirements for limits on levels of ochratoxin A, cadmium and PAHs in cocoa could soon find they have to respond to limits on mineral oils, alkalising agents and other substances. Speakers at recent conferences suggest that limits on substances such as mineral oil and alkalising agents might be introduced in due course. Frans Verstraete, who works for the Directorate-General for Health & Food Safety at the European Commission, told the European Cocoa Association (ECA) conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia in September that in future provision might also be made for limits on mercury and nickel; it is believed that other contaminants that might be addressed include aluminium and arsenic.
Mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) are believed to be mutagens and carcinogens, as well as endocrine disruptors; MOSH accumulate in the body and can cause a range of dysfunctions. They can enter food via packaging (from printing inks via recycled paper), through the use of jute bags and lubricants and are found in the body as a result of background exposure.
Ann Duponcheel, Global Regulatory and Trade Affairs Manager at Barry Callebaut, told another recent conference, the International Cocoa Organization’s Cocoa Market Outlook Conference, that a German study of June 2016 had found that MOAH and MOSH are present in nearly all foods and that nearly all actors in supply chain contribute to their presence. She told delegates that the European Commission had recommended that there should be monitoring of mineral oils in foods and articles intended to come in contact with food, and that maximum limits might be imposed after publication of a European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) opinion on mineral oils. There is, she said, also a need for reliable methods for detecting and monitoring levels of MOAH and MOSH, and research is ongoing.
Also coming under the spotlight are alkalising agents, which are used as acidity regulators, which also have an impact on taste and product colour. Until now, in the food industry in the EU and Asia, alkalising agents have been regarded as ‘processing aids’ and labelling on food has not been required, whereas in the US, labelling ‘processed with alkali’ is obligatory. However, in June 2016 an EU opinion was issued on alkalising agents equating them to ‘additives’ in cocoa. “This could result in a number of difficulties for the cocoa sector,” Ms Duponcheel explained. Additives require use limits and, if alkalising agents are regarded as additives in future, this could have an impact on labelling requirements and require some adjustment to recipes. If alkalising agents used in cocoa are regarded as an ingredient other issues might arise: they are known not to be dangerous for human health, but some countries do not allow the use of alkalising agents, which could create problems for exporters.
For more information see the forthcoming November 2016 issue of Coffee & Cocoa International.
