News
06.08.2021 - Foods
Ethylene oxide or 2-chloroethanol in locust bean gum (E410)
On June 8th, Spain recalled "Ethylene oxide in Lygomme FM 4605 stabilizer from Turkey used in ice cream made in Spain" via RASFF notification.
The cause of the 2-chloroethanol findings appears to be locust bean gum as a confirmed source. Locust bean gum is included as a component of the stabilizer, which is a multi-component mixture.
2-chloroethanol entered the locust bean gum because the carob pods with the carob seeds in Turkey were fumigated with ethylene oxide after the harvest to protect them from possible spoilage during further processing. Since ethylene oxide has insecticidal properties, this treatment may have been carried out for pest control purposes (storage protection), but may also represent protection against microbial spoilage (disinfection). From a legal perspective, pesticide law would thus be applicable here, as a post-harvest treatment of the carob has taken place. According to the European pesticide regulation (EC) No. 396/2005, a maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.1* mg/kg for the sum of ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol, expressed as ethylene oxide, applies to carob.
The manufacturer of the stabilizer was unaware of the fumigation of the pods. The goods had already been processed into end products, where the contents of ethylene oxide (or 2-chloroethanol) were below the analytical detection limit of 0.02 mg/kg. As a result, a discussion arose at the European level on how to generally deal with end products in which ethylene oxide (classified as a genotoxic substance) can no longer be reliably analytically determined. On July 16th, the outcome was published by the EU crisis coordination group for food and feed on the procedure for the food additive locust bean gum (E410). Accordingly, all locust bean gum exceeding the maximum residue limit for ethylene oxide (sum of ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol, expressed as ethylene oxide) of 0.1* mg/kg, as well as all products manufactured with it, are to be withdrawn from the market and publicly recalled from consumers.
* The MRL is a so-called asterisk - MRL, which is a maximum residue limit at the official analytical detection limit for this matrix.
Source:
Lebensmittelverband Deutschland - https://www.lebensmittelverband.de
European Union publication – Link: https://ec.europa.eu/food/system/files/2021-07/rasff_ethylene-oxide-incident_e410_crisis-coord_sum.pdf