The EU Commission Notice on the application of the principle of quantitative ingredients declaration (QUID) has been published in November.
As one of the leading conferences RAFA (Recent Advances In Food Analysis) took place from 7th – 10th of November in Prague (Czech Republic), presenting latest developments in food analysis.
COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2017/2158 was set in force and will become valid on April 11th, 2018, establishing mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in food.
Perchlorate is an ion, derived from salts of perchloric acid, which is found naturally in the environment. In addition to fertilizers, two other possible sources of perchlorate are soils and irrigation water. The ion is usually absorbed by the plant along with the water or fertilizer through the soil, as it happens with the nutrients, and is deposited in the tissues or fruits, without until now known mechanisms of transformation inside the fruits.
After decrees with respect to durum wheat, milk and rice a further decree on mandatory origin labelling for tomatoes in tomato products has also been adopted now and Italy may not comply with the EU procedures also in this case as FoodDrinkEurope the European food industry platform recently claimed.
China issued the draft Administrative Measures on General Certification of Imported Food for the so-called “Harmonized certificate” in order to allow export of food products from other countries to China. Now, the „Harmonized certificate“ introduction has been postponed for 2 years.
R&C LAB has a ten-year experience in the analyses of solid impurities in foodstuffs, performing official methods for which it is also accreditated (17025).
The Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR) has published its risk assessment with respect to the Fipronil findings in egg products and chicken meat from hens that got in touch with Fipronil contaminated DEGA 16 disinfectant.
Meanwhile we have tested more than 1.500 samples mainly eggs, and egg products for Fipronil, when another suspicious active Amitraz caused some attention.
The European food and drink industry (represented by FoodDrinkEurope) and the European vegan and vegetarian movement (represented by the European Vegetarian Union (EVU)) proposed a wording for a definition of requirements together, that need to be fulfilled to define “Food suitable for vegans” and “Food suitable for vegetarians” in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011
Functional foods are those that, in addition to their usual nutritional effects, have biological compounds (nutrients or non-nutrients), with positive effects on one or more functions of the organism and which have beneficial effects on health, improving or reducing the risk of disease.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has updated the reference values for riboflavin (vitamin B2) as part of the review of its scientific recommendations on nutrient consumption.
The Italian AGROLAB subsidiary for food analysis, “R&C Lab”, successfully took part in the QS round robin test. The test involved a performance assessment in the domain of residue monitoring. 9 active substances were tested using GC/LC multi methods and the LC single method chlorate / perchlorate.
Fipronil - an active substance of the group of phenyl pyrazoles – is a strong contact poison active against ektoparasites like e.g. fleas, lice and mites.
Food fraud is the intentional breach of the food law of products in which a quality or quantity is declared inferior or different from the real, for profit, so that it infringes on Intellectual Property Rights and may suppose a major food safety problem.
The spring 2017 ring test among QS accepted laboratories for pesticide residue analysis in fruit and vegetables was passed with best result by our lab team in Poland. AGROLAB Polska in Deblin is still the only lab in Poland that fulfils the QS criteria for pesticide analysis.
Within a few years the price for vanilla raised from 30 €/kg to nowadays 500 €/kg for this valuable aroma. This triggers the creativity for illegal manipulation.
Antioxidants are responsible for balancing the concentration of free radicals. They protect the body from oxidative stress, thus preventing damage to a wide range of cellular structures including lipids, proteins and DNA. The loss of this equilibrium accelerates the formation of free radicals and causes their accumulation, producing premature oxidation and accelerated aging.
Lactitol is a disaccharide polyol derived from lactose, used as an artificial sweetener, with a sweetness profile similar to sugar.
We were regularly asked to provide information about the LOD (limit of detection) for the detection of ingredients that might derive from GMO (genetically modified organisms) in complex food (and feed) preparations. For scientific reasons this is impossible.
27 February 2017 in the Official Journal of the European Union was published the COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2017/335 amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the use of steviol glycosides (E 960) as a sweetener in certain energy-reduced confectionery products.