Mineral Oil In Food Research Articles

Evolution of hyphenated techniques for mineral oil analysis in food.

The occurrence of mineral oil in food is known since the early 1990s, and it was discovered by chance in one of the first applications using the hyphenated LC-GC system. Since then, the relationship between hyphenated techniques and mineral oil analysis has been tightly interrelated and successful. This review aims to show and explain how this mutual interaction has driven the development of the hyphenated techniques on one side and has supported the increase of knowledge on the other, supporting the complex task of mineral oil determination in food. The paper presents the background of the mineral oil problem in food (a brief history of its finding, toxicology, and occurrence), moving then toward the analytical determination. The development of different hyphenated techniques in relation to mineral oil determination is discussed, focusing mainly on 2D techniques, such as LC-GC. The necessity of additional dimensions, such as LC-LC-GC and comprehensive approaches, such as GC × GC and LC × GC, is also discussed. Finally, the role of the hyphenation with MS is presented.

Dietary exposure of the Belgian population to mineral oil

ABSTRACTRecently, presence of mineral oil in numerous foods has been detected. The analysis of mineral oil in food is convoluted since it comprises MOSH (saturated hydrocarbons) and variable amounts of mainly alkylated MOAH (aromatic hydrocarbons). Both fractions have a different toxicological profile and therefore they need to be assessed separately. For Belgium, occurrence data are available comprising concentrations of 217 food samples. These data were used, in combination with the 2014/15 Belgian Food Consumption Survey data, in a lower bound scenario to evaluate the dietary exposure of the Belgian population. Exposure to mineral oil was much lower compared to the results previously reported by EFSA and RIVM. The main contributors in Belgium were similar to previous studies (i.e. cereal products and oils), but an important additional contribution of non-alcoholic drinks was identified due to the presence of mineral oil in coffee. However, the concentration of mineral oil was determined from the dry product by applying a dilution factor with transfer rate of 100%, and not in the prepared coffee.This study gives an account of the dietary exposure of the Belgian population to mineral oil for the first time and reports the associated uncertainties.

Analysis of mineral oil in food: results of a Belgian market survey

ABSTRACTRecently, migration of mineral oil components from food contact materials into various foods has been reported. The analysis of mineral oil in food is complicated since it consists of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) comprising a complex mixture of linear, branched and cyclic compounds and variable amounts of mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH), mainly alkylated. Both MOSH and MOAH form ‘humps’ of unresolved peaks in the chromatograms with the same range of volatility. Since these two fractions have a different toxicological relevance, it is important to quantify them separately. Occurrence data on mineral oil are available only for a limited number of food groups and only from few countries. In Belgium, data on the contamination of food by mineral oil are lacking. In this contribution, an in-house validated online combination of liquid chromatography with gas chromatography (LC–GC) with flame ionisation detection (FID) was used for the quantification of MOSH and MOAH. Totally, 217 packed food samples were selected using a well-defined sampling strategy that targeted food categories which are highly consumed and categories suspected to contain mineral oil. For 19 samples, the method was not applicable. For the 198 remaining samples, MOSH was detected in 142 samples with concentrations up to 84.82 mg kg−1. For the MOAH fraction, there are 175 samples with a concentration below the limits of quantification (LOQ), while 23 samples had a higher concentration ranging from 0.6 to 2.24 mg kg−1. Finally, these results were compared with the action thresholds as proposed by the Scientific Committee (SciCom) of the Belgian Food Safety Agency (FAVV-AFSCA). Only one sample exceeded the threshold for MOSH, while the threshold for MOAH was exceeded in 23 samples. For the samples exceeding the action threshold, further investigation is needed to identify the contamination source.

Mineral Oil in Food – The Development of an Issue

Mineral Oil in Food – The Development of an Issue

Development of a manual method for the determination of mineral oil in foods and paperboard

So far the majority of the measurements of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) were obtained from on-line high performance liquid chromatography–gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (on-line HPLC–GC–FID). Since this technique is not available in many laboratories, an alternative method with more easily available tools has been developed. Preseparation on a small conventional liquid chromatographic column was optimized to achieve robust separation between the MOSH and the MOAH, but also to keep out the wax esters from the MOAH fraction. This was achieved by mixing a small portion of silica gel with silver nitrate into highly activated silica gel and by adding toluene into the eluent for the MOAH. Toluene was also added to the MOSH fraction to facilitate reconcentration and to serve as a keeper preventing loss of volatiles during solvent evaporation. A 50μl volume was injected on-column into GC–FID to achieve a detection limit for MOSH and MOAH below 1mg/kg in most foods.

On‐line LC‐GC transfer via a hot vaporizing chamber and vapor discharge by overflow; increased sensitivity for the determination of mineral oil in foods

AbstractThe modified LC‐GC transfer technique with concurrent eluent evaporation reduces losses of volatile components. The LC fraction is transferred by the LC pump. Evaporation occurs in a heated capillary into which a piece of wire is introduced. Vapors are discharged by overflow. This enables the reduction of the oven temperature to the minimum that prevents recondensation and to obtain more efficient phase soaking for the retention of volatile solutes. The technique was applied to improve sensitivity of the analysis of mineral oil in foods. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Mineral Oil in Foods

Abstract A collaborative study was conducted of the method for mineral oil in foods published in This Journal, 45, 241 (1962). Suggestions and recommendations by the collaborators were evaluated, and necessary reagent and procedural changes were incorporated into the method prior to the current collaborative study. The method now includes the preparation of sample, extraction of the total oils from the dried bakery product, separation of the mineral-type oil from the total by an alkaline aluminum oxide column using petroleum ether, and identification of the dried, weighed, mineraltype oil by infrared and refractive index. The method is considered suitable for detecting small amounts of mineral-type oil in bakery products and is recommended for adoption as official, first action.

Mineral Oil in Foods

Mineral Oil in Foods