Nutriswiss technology enables gentle refinement of vegetable oils to comply with contaminant limits
As a result of EU Regulation 2020/1322, new maximum levels for 3-MCPD and glycidol in olive oil and other vegetable oils have been in force since January 2021. Nutriswiss can minimise the presence of these process-related contaminants with the help of a special refining technology.
The Swiss speciality and organic edible oils expert uses a particularly gentle process that refines oils at low temperatures. In this way, oil producers can not only optimise the sensory profile of their products and increase their yield, but also meet the new legal requirements.
New regulations
On 1 January 2021, the European Commission Regulation set limits of 1250 μg of 3-MCPD and 1000 μg of glycidol per kg of edible oil. Even stricter regulations apply to infant and children’s food (15 μg/kg of 3-MCPD and 6.0 μg/kg of glycidol for liquid infant formula).
With a particular focus on refined olive oil, in which high process contaminant values are often seen, Nutriswiss subsequently set new standards for a wide range of products. After refining, laboratory analyses now show values that are close to the detection limit for both process contaminants and far below legal limits.
Nutriswiss can also refine heavily contaminated oils or those with a high acid value, such as olive pomace or lampante oils, using special processes, so that an organoleptically acceptable, edible and safe food is produced. The olive oil raffinate can then be mixed with virgin olive oils, for example, and marketed as a blend or supplied to the food industry for further processing. Oils that are difficult to refine and would otherwise be unmarketable now benefit from a new lease of life.
Distillation technology
Unlike traditional vegetable oil refining, Nutriswiss doesn’t use time-consuming or high-temperature processes to remove pesticides and mineral oil residues (MOSH/MOAH). Heat promotes the formation of potentially harmful glycidyl fatty acid esters and chlorine-fatty acid esters such as 3-MCPD. Instead, the company relies on physical neutralisation using modern distillation technology and subsequent mild deodorisation. In this way, no process contaminants are formed. At the same time, valuable ingredients are protected, off-flavours are removed and pesticides, MOSH/MOAH, polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH) and plasticisers such as DEHP are significantly reduced.
Michel Burla, Managing Director of Nutriswiss, said: “Manufacturers of vegetable oils face increasingly stringent legal requirements, such as stricter limits for pollutants. With our state-of-the-art technologies, we can comprehensively meet their needs and support our customers. This applies not only to olive oil, but to a wide range of vegetable and animal oils, such as rapeseed, linseed, fish, algae or hemp oil.”
