Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) are a diverse group of chemical compounds mainly derived from petroleum distillation and refining. They are divided into two main categories based on their chemical structure:
- Mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH)
- Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH)
Mineral oil hydrocarbons can enter food in many ways – through environmental contamination, use of lubricants for machinery, release agents, processing aids, food or feed additives and migration from food contact materials.
The potential human health impact of MOH varies widely. MOSH, which are known to accumulate in the liver and lymphoid system, do not present a public health risk at current levels of dietary exposure. One type of MOAH may contain genotoxic substances that can damage DNA in cells and may cause cancer. For substances such as these, a safe level cannot be established.
In the EU system, different actors work closely to protect public health by assessing and managing risks as well as monitoring the presence of MOH in our food.
EFSA assesses the risks for humans posed by MOH throughout the food chain. Data on their presence in food is gathered through continuous data collection.
EU regulations require Member States to monitor MOH presence in foodf ollowing the guidance provided by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.
The European Commission and Member States consider EFSA’s work for risk management actions.
Solutions overviews
Labotics Italia, VAR of Axel Semrau, has available a complete workstation for the determination of mineral oil contaminants in food, feed, packaging and cosmetics.
The analysis of MOSH/MOAH is performed with an online LC-GC-FID coupling. In this process, a HPLC is connected to a GC via a special interface.
The advantages of measuring with the CHRONECT Workstation MOSH/MOAH are:
- Halved analysis time due to 2-channel setup for simultaneous determination of MOSH and MOAH
- Removal of interferences by means of epoxidation and Alox-clenup
- Specialized software for the evaluation of Humps
- Continuous development in cooperation with over 185 customers
For more information please click the link below:
https://www.axelsemrau.de/en/productdetails/chronect-workstation-mosh-moah
