Dear colleagues,
The German Society for Fat Science as neutral platform for the exchange of knowledge between science and practise organises together with the Institut Kirchhoff Berlin GmbH - part of Mérieux NutriSciences, Berlin, as laboratory of the analytics of mineral oil components in food of the first hour the 4th International Congress on Mineral Oil Contaminants in Food - Toxicology - Risk Assessment - Analytics - Mitigation held on 05-06 June 2023 in Berlin (Hotel Aquino Tagungszentrum).
Contamination of foodstuffs and other products (cosmetics, packaging materials, etc.) with mineral oil components has been known since the early 1990s. Since then, the development of analytical techniques has considerably increased the data available for quantifying and identifying the sources of these undesirable substances. On the basis of these available data, toxicological evaluations were carried out, appropriate minimization measures were introduced and orientation values were jointly defined by official authorities and the food association. All these measures have led to a significant reduction of mineral oil components in all subsectors. However, the problem is still not solved.
Mineral oil components in food are still a big challenge for producers. Toxicological and risk assessment are still under discussion, consequently an European legal regulation is open. Today the LC-GC-FID method for the determination of MOSH and MOAH is the method of choice and a method standardized by the German Society for Fat Science is available but it is still challenging and not easily applicable for a wide range of matrices. Only on basis of validated analytics evidence-based toxicological and food law statements can be made and subsequently political decisions be taken. More and more, GCxGC-MS is used to identify sources for the input of mineral oil components in food, but several approaches are available and the method is not validated making the comparability of results difficult. For producers of food the progress in the identification of entry pathways and the development of mitigation strategies are important to ensure the high quality and safety of food. Much has already been implemented here in practice in recent years, but there are still open questions.
How is the current status of the toxicological assessment for mineral oil components? How does the European Food Safety Agency assess mineral oil components? Can we expect a legal regulation? What is the progress to improve the analytical method? Which further mitigation strategies can be expected and how does industry implement measures? And, and, and?
The congress will offer you the opportunity to discuss the latest findings on questions of toxicology, risk assessment, analytics and mitigation strategies with proven experts and thus bring yourself up to date on this important contamination. The presented information are aimed at all interested parties from the authorities, official and private laboratories, consumer protection and industry who are involved in quality control, analysis, evaluation and marketing of food and who have to make decisions on mineral oil components.
We would be very pleased to welcome you in Berlin on the 4th International Congress on Mineral Oil Contaminants in Food - Toxicology - Risk Assessment - Analytics - Mitigation.
Erik Becker Bertrand Matthäus
Institut Kirchhoff Berlin GmbH, Max Rubner-Institut, Detmold
part of Mérieux NutriSciences, Berlin