Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons (MOH) in food and packaging

Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) comprise a diverse group of mixtures of hydrocarbons containing thousands of chemical compounds of different structures and size, derived mainly from crude oil but also produced synthetically from coal, natural gas and biomass.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) identified two main types of MOHs that are relevant for food safety:

MOSHs – Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons
MOAHs – Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons

They are potentially harmful contaminants to human health and may be found in different foods, often from cardboard packaging. According to recent studies they can also come from the environment and from the production process of some agricultural ingredients.

MOH levels evolution

The toxicology of MOSH and MOAH is still under discussion. MOSH were identified in different human organs by Barp et al.. Branched and cyclic alkanes were detected with chain lengths of n-C16 to n-C45.

In 2012 EFSA issued a scientific opinion concluding that the intake of MOH via food is of potential concern, stating that any exposure to MOHs (Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons) can pose a health risk. However, the current available data do not allow to make a toxicological evaluation and establish maximum limits in food. Potential genotoxic, carcinogenic compounds occur within the MOAH fraction. Tests of the BfR revealed that the MOAH fraction possessed estrogenic activity. According to the Belgian Food Safety Agency it is currently not possible to evaluate the risk of MOAH in food and MOSH is of no concern.

The German BfR (The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) issued national guidelines in 2014 indicating reference limits for MOSH in food: MOSH C10 – C16 12 mg/kg , MOSH C16 – C20 4 mg/kg. For MOAH BfR has not given any limit indication in absence of sufficient scientific data.

BMELV (Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture) in Germany drafted in July 2014 a national law indicating the following limits in food:
– sum of MOSH (C20 – C35) 2 mg/kg – sum of MOAH (C16 – C35) 0,5 mg/kg
It indicates the following limits in recycled paper/cardboard:
– sum of MOSH (C16 – C35) 24 mg/kg – sum of MOAH (C16 – C35) 6 mg/kg

In 2017, the EU published the Recommendation no. 2017/84 inviting all Member States to carry out a monitoring on the presence of MOSH and MOAH in different food matrices and materials in contact with food. In February 2021, EFSA launched a call for Proposal for Supporting the Scientific coordination of the CONTAM Panel’s Working Group on mineral oil hydrocarbons in food” to produce scientific opinions on this topic.

Due to positive MOAH results during a Foodwatch study on infant formula, the request for a harmonized EU risk management approach was posed and EFSA issued a rapid risk assessment in November 2019. It concluded that “the detection of MOAH in food should be considered of potential concern for human health” and “in particular 3-7 ring MOAH, may act as genotoxic carcinogens”. The resulting summary of the standing committee on plants, animals, food and feed stated that a second rapid risk assessment will follow from EFSA and harmonized EU risk management measures will be published as soon as sufficient occurrence data have been submitted to EFSA.

In 2019 a guidance document was issued by JRC with the aim to support the generation of reliable results for the content of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) content in food and food contact materials and to harmonize reporting standards to EFSA. It covers specific directions for sampling and analysis for the monitoring of mineral oil in food and FCM in the frame of Recommendation (EU) 2017/84, that can be used by the stakeholders involved in the monitoring campaign.
German governmental agencies use benchmark values published by LAV (Consumer Protection Consortium of the Federal States) and the Food Federation Germany, in August, 2021 for evaluation of MOSH and MOAH. The data was based on finished products available on the German market.

Contamination by Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons (MOH) comes from various sources, such as jute bags, food plants or packaging. There is currently no binding regulation containing official limits. The general food legislation is used as a basis for evaluation of the risk associated with the presence of MOH in food. Regulatory limits for MOAH in infant formula are under discussion. A concentration of 1 mg/kg MOAH per MOAH fraction in infant formula is considered as evidence for MOAH in a product and therefore of concern for public health by the European Committee. Due to this definition it should be confirmed that no MOAH above LoQ are detected in food or feed.

Following the testing campaigns made by some Consumer organizations, this issue became very topical and food companies are now working to avoid any kind of contamination in their products. Food companies are continuously improving their sourcing of raw and packaging materials, and their manufacturing processes to assure the lowest levels of these molecules.

Mérieux NutriSciences’ expertise with Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons

Mérieux NutriSciences started to work on MOSH and MOAH in 2011, also improving its method with Dr. Konrad Grob at the Zürich Cantonal Laboratory and his staff, who first demonstrated MOH migration from cardboard packaging. Mérieux NutriSciences has been working on a project for the development of a CEN standard since 2014 and participated in different interlab tests on vegetable oils and proficiency tests, with satisfactory results. These studies granted the development of a robust experience, especially with paper and cardboard, vegetable oils and cereals and the relevant reliability (for example, non-contaminant hydrocarbons, but part of the product). Reliability of results was demonstrated by lab comparisons and also in proficiency tests with spiked samples, demonstrating accuracy of results for LC-GC-FID and GCxGC-TOF-MS.

Mérieux NutriSciences has been studying this topic for many years and now we offer a high level of service and expertise for the determination of MOSH and MOAH both on foods and in carton packaging by HPLC-GC-FID. Our experts can support you to manage the full process from sampling to root cause analysis and support to mitigation plan.

Our labs are ISO17025 accredited (*) to perform Mineral oil hydrocarbons MOH ( MOSH and MOAH) in food, feed, food contact materials and cosmetic raw products and cosmetics, including:

• cereals and by-products (dry-non fat), flour, pasta, bread, biscuits, rice
• Fats and oils (including cocoa butter, vegetable and animal oils)
• milk and dairy products ( yogurt, cheese, ice cream, milk powder)
• infant formula
• dry & fresh fruits
• Vegetables
• juices, non alcoholic drinks
• fat preserves of vegetable origin (ex. pesto)
• cocoa & chocolate products
• coffee
• ready to eat meals
• eggs
• fish
• lecithin
• meat
• protein powders
• spices
• soups
• sugar
• tea
• FCM like paper, board, containers, rubber, jute bags, foils, big bags as well as lubricants

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(*) See our scopes of ISO17025 accreditation visiting our website