Kundeninformation
July 24, 2024
MOSH/MOAH
MOSH (mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons) and MOAH (mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons) have been in focus of the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry and its supplying industries such as the packaging industry or the lubricant suppliers for quite some time. Contamination in final products had the attracted attention of consumer protection organizations and is to be avoided.
For food products the latest analyzes are being developed and introduced to detect and evaluate contaminations of these types, and check if a critical limit has been exceeded. These actions are intended to guarantee food safety. A MOSH/MOAH analysis is often complex and usually not clear for a contamination e.g., MOSH – in detail n-alkanes – are natural content in fruits and vegetables.
MOH are mainly composed of MOSH (approx. 80%; aliphatic hydrocarbons) and MOAH (approx. 20%; aromatic hydrocarbons). These complex products, e.g., gas, fuel, lubricant base oil, wax and much more and therefore cannot be reliably assigned to their origin. For example, contamination of the crops is already conceivable during the agricultural process.
Are lubricants with H1 registration dangerous?
No. Lubricants with H1 registration are intentionally no food additives. They are intended for the technology and construction elements around the food processing. Nevertheless, according to USDA FDA 21 CRF §178.3570 „lubricants with incidental food contact“, maximum contamination of lubricants is tolerated. From the start of food production, a maximum of 10 ppm for mineral oil and synthetic lubricants andup to a maximum of 1 ppm for silicone oil-based lubricants may come into contact with the food. In particular, this paragraph regulates which raw materials are permitted with the respective limits for the production of H1 lubricants.
Do H1 lubricants contain MOSH/MOAH?
Mineral oil based H1 lubricants contain MOSH and sometimes also traces of MOAH. Certain MOAH types are separated through the refining process of the mineral oil, especially poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAC) with 3 – 7 rings. These are related with genotoxicity, thus, remain in the mineral oil the PACs with 1 – 2 rings.
The latest EFSA study (European Food Safety Authority) shows, that MOSH (C10 up to C50 hydrocarbons lengths) in food do not pose a risk at the current expositions level for the public health, consequently, there is no genotoxicity associated with MOSH. In the study is particularly called a MOSH/MOAH analyze guideline from a European reference laboratory in recommendation with the EU regulation 2017/84. Based on the guideline and the contained definition of MOSH/MOAH all recipes of the setral® H1 products were checked of these ingredients.
In the products that do not contain MOSH/MOAH in the recipe, following hint was added as a product specific characteristic.
„Without MOSH/MOAH as recipe component by definition EU 2017/84“
Even through special analyze laboratories determine the MOSH/MOSH content, don’t exist standardized limits for lubricants. A differentiation of the MOSH/MOAH origin is with the existing analyze methods not detectable.
Are H1 registered lubricants the sole reason for MOSH/MOAH contamination in food?
No. From the cultivation of the raw material until to preparation to the final product including the supply chain, there is an influence of MOSH/MOAH at every step. The MOSH/MOAH influences can be divided into three categories: additives and process aids, migration and contamination.
Additives or process aids are among other things approved waxes for the food-related use, e.g., for use as packaging, coating or glazing agent. Those ingredients which could get into the food are called as MORE (mineral oil refined products). Typical migration contaminations with MOSH similar materials comes from plastic foils, e.g., polyethylene (PE), which are used as a functional barrier in multi-layer food packaging. The migrated oligomers of the plastic are listed as POSH (polymer oligomeric saturated hydrocarbons) but are not MOSH by definition because they do not based on mineral oil. Even from printed paper packaging, mineral oil-based printer ink (MOSH/MOSH) can migration in the food.
Typical sources of MOSH/MOAH contamination are versatile from already contaminated transport containers, introduction of exhaust gases from internal combustion engines, right down to the lubricant. The contamination with an H1 lubricant usually arises due to incorrect use, e.g., over filling of the maximum lubricant volume in bearings. Moreover, most of the H1 lubricants base on polyalphaolefins (PAO), that means, those base oils consist synthetic hydrocarbons and are not MOSH by definition.
MOSH values measured in food analyzes refer to the total of mineral oil containing hydrocarbons (called MOSH), including MOSH analogues as POSH, PAO and MORE. The entry source remains unknown because traceability is not analytically possible. There are no exact limits to MOSH values, but the German Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR) provides a recommendation for maximum MOSH levels in foods. There are defined limits for maximum MOAH values depending on the fat content of the food.
What should be considered when using lubricants in food production or supplying industries?
H1 lubricants, which are also manufactured according to ISO 21469, offer the greatest possible product safety. These too, should only come into contact with the food in the event of an accident. The Setral Chemie GmbH supports the HACCP quality management system with ISO 21469 certification. This is basically the transfer of HACCP to the production of H1 lubricants so that they are not contaminated during production. A separate HACCP assessment is recommended before the lubricant is used by the customer.
H1 lubricants do not have to be MOSH/MOAH-free to guarantee high product quality and safety. Manufacturing according to ISO 21469 offers extensive security for the production process. This is the case for setral® H1 lubricants. We are happy to provide advice.
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