The European legislation for Emulsifier E471 (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids) will be amended by the European Commission after recommendations by the European Food Safety Authorisation (EFSA).
The updated specification for E471 will be extended with additional contaminants commonly found in emulsifiers, i.e., Glycidyl Esters (GE) and 3-monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD).
Mono- and diglycerides are used across a range of F&B applications, e.g., bread, dairy, margarine, dressings, chocolate, ice cream and confectionery, to name the main ones.
In EFSA’s initial request for information, they called for more data regarding potential contaminants in E471 (such as trans fatty acids, heavy metals, erucic acid, butanetriols and acrolein).
Food emulsifier producers specify these analytical results and the lowest technically achievable levels of 3-MCPD and Glycidyl Esters in E471. Up until now, these were not included in the specification for E 471.
After the EFSA’s call for data for E471, European emulsifier producers worked together to define maximum technical achievable levels of those contaminants and submitted their findings to EFSA in December 2020.
The European Commission included only the contaminants heavy metals, 3-MCPD and GE in the revised specification (the other earlier mentioned contaminants were not included). The revised specification received a favourable opinion from the EU member states on the March 8, 2023.
As such, the proposed specification is expected to be adopted and the legislation to be enforced by mid-summer of this year. T he draft specification includes a six-month transition period for both E471 itself and food containing E471.
The upcoming legislation for the additional contaminants is specified as per below:
What You Need to Know as a Food and Beverage Manufacturer
The E471 emulsifier industry is responsible for meeting this new legislation and deliver compliant E471 into the market. It may be expected as responsible producers to ensure customers/F&B manufacturers are kept informed of current proceedings.
In addition, according to the new legislation, E471-containing food products produced outside Europe but exported into Europe must adhere to the updated E471 standard.
Background
The use of food additives (E-numbers) within the EU is governed by strict rules and regulations. Each E-number has undergone a stringent safety evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and when found safe for use has been authorised by the European Commission.
EFSA periodically revises specifications of E-numbers, at which point they are re-evaluated in risk assessments.
In November 2018, EFSA launched a public call for technical and toxicological data on food additive E471 (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids).
EFSA recommended adapting the current specifications for mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471), in particular by reducing the maximum allowable limits for toxic elements of safety concern and including two new contaminants.
All European food emulsifier producers are members of the non-profit industry organisation EFEMA (European Food Emulsifier Manufacturers Association), and worked together as responsible producers to prepare the required documentation to address this request from EFSA.
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- Why are 3-MCPD and glycidol esters (GE) considered contaminants?
- What are 3-MCPD and GE and how are they formed?
- What is the source of 3-MCPD and GE in food emulsifiers, E 471?
- Have E 471 manufacturers developed effective mitigation techniques?
- Analytical method for 3-MCPD and GE
- What are the new levels proposed as part of this legislation and when will it come into effect?
Why are 3-MCPD and Glycidyl Esters (GE) Considered Contaminants?
3-MCPD is a Group 2B IARC “possible” human carcinogen and thus may cause cancer, and could also pose risks to kidney function and the male reproductive system [1][2].
Glycidyl esters are classified as genotoxic and are a Group 2A “probable” human carcinogen [3][4].
What are 3-MCPD and GE and how are they formed?
3-MCPD esters and GE are predominantly formed during the refining process of vegetable oils in the deodorisation step that involves very high temperatures up to 230oC.
The formation of these contaminates is also related to food with high fat content that have undergone thermal processing (e.g., frying and baking) [5][6][7].
What is the source of 3-MCPD and GE in food emulsifiers, E 471?
Several studies have shown that mono- and diglycerides (E 471) are precursors for the formation of GE in oils and fats [5][6][7] and thus GE is an unavoidable by-product in the production process of E 471.
The formation of GE is increased with concentration of mono- and diglycerides, and with temperatures above 220°C [8]. Apart from mono- and diglyceride concentration and high temperatures, the formation of GE is also influenced by other parameters, such as the oil source and the fatty acid composition.
For example, mono- and diglyceride from unsaturated oils and fats can have higher levels of GE than fully hydrogenated fat-based products. In addition, processing conditions (i.e., processing time, catalysts, steam, vacuum and mixing) can influence the final concentration.
3-MCPD is neither formed nor removed in the manufacturing process of E 71. Formation of 3-MCPD requires chlorine, which is not present in the manufacturing process for E471.
As such, the 3-MCPD level in E 471 is introduced only via the raw materials sourced and used in the manufacturing process of E 471.
Have E 471 manufacturers developed effective mitigation techniques?
Over the last several years, EFEMA members have carried out extensive research and development work to thoroughly understand the chemical pathways and conditions affecting the formation and degradation of GE.
GE is formed at high temperatures, but, at the same time, GE is also an unstable epoxide at high temperatures. Mitigation involves a controlled heat treatment of the reaction mixture after formation of mono-and diglycerides and the associated, unwanted GE by-product.
The mitigation technique requires the installation of specialised equipment.
A significant part of the mitigation process has already been completed by European producers, and a large proportion of E471 efforts are focused on meeting the upcoming legislation of maximally allowed 10 ppm.
Mitigation implementation and further process optimisation are ongoing to be able to enable the tighter specification of max 5 ppm GE to be in place six months after the legislation comes into force.
Analytical method for 3-MCPD and glycidyl esters
No accurate analytical method existed for E 471 when the initial EFSA call for data on GE and 3-MCPD was requested in 2018. The available and published methods—the AOCS 29a-c methods—did not give reliable results for food emulsifiers.
EFEMA has worked for over two years with the SGS Germany laboratory on the development of an appropriate and reliable method for the measurement of 3-MCPD, 3-MCPD esters and GE in emulsifiers.
A method based on a modification of the AOCS Official Method Cd 29b-13 with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been developed for E471.
The method has been validated by an internal ring test among EFEMA members and was released in summer 2020 by EFEMA. Dr. Jan Kuhlmann of SGS published the method in October 2021 [9].
The analytical method is highly laborious, requires specific equipment and demands a significant investment. In addition, the method is not yet validated by the EU reference laboratory and is still in the process of achieving proper validation.
EFEMA is aware that the National Food Institute at Technical University of Denmark (DTU Food), which hosts the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for processing contaminants, has worked on a validation study of the method.
What are the new levels proposed as part of this legislation and when will it come into effect?
To ensure a minimal impact on end customers, the European Commission has proposed transitional measures for dealing with products containing E 471, and for E 471 itself.
These transition periods permit producers to use E471 with GE above 10 ppm if the E471 was produced prior to the regulation coming into force. The food that contains the E471 with GE above 10 ppm may be marketed until the use-by date.
Additionally, E471 with GE above 5 ppm and below 10 ppm that has been manufactured after the regulation has come into force may be used by producers until the exhaustion of stocks. Similar to the 10 ppm transition rules listed above, food containing this E471 may be marketed until the use-by date.
The proposed specifications and transitional measures are as follows:
Why we Need a More Sustainable Food System
As the world continues to confront the coronavirus pandemic, we have a striking opportunity and obligation to create a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable food system. Enzymes can play an important role in this.
Today, our food system is responsible for over 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, with food loss and waste alone accounting for 8-10%. The pandemic exposed the fragility of our global food supply chains.
From field to fork, unprecedented stresses led to disruption at every level and many weaknesses in our food system were exposed. The pandemic exposed the fragility of our global food supply system and now the Ukrainian conflict is further shaking this system.
Ukraine is, in fact, a critical food hub, in particular for wheat and fertilizers.
By 2050, our global population expected to swell to almost 10 billion people and coupled with rising incomes and urbanisation, demand for animal-based protein will increase.
The World Resources Institute has predicted that by 2050, we will require 50% more food and 70% more animal-based protein to feed everyone.
Reducing Environmental Impact of Food Production
If we continue with our current-day food production practices and consumption patterns, we would need to convert a landmass twice the size of India to agriculture, leading to significant deforestation and biodiversity loss.
It would also result in a failure to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to below 1.5°C.
Food producers all over the world are responding by adopting sustainable practices to reduce their environmental impact. On this sustainability journey, enzymes have become an increasing important ally due to their high efficiency, their specificity and their ability to create a more efficient food production system.
The use of enzymes in food preparations is an age-old process. Humans, unknowingly at first, used enzymes to their advantage for millennia in industries such as cheese making, brewing and bakery.
The term enzyme was first coined in 1877 by Wilhelm Kühne, coming from the Greek word for “in leaven”; while the original purpose of including enzymes in manufacturing processes was to improve the efficiency of the process and reduce cost.
However, it is now well established that enzymes go much further and can unlock significant sustainability benefits and greatly enhance product quality.
How are Enzymes Used in Food Production?
In most cases, the enzymes used in food are used as processing aids, where they aid in the manufacturing of the food but do not have a function in the final product.
Improve Product Quality
In the baking industry, different types of enzymes are used to deliver different functionalities and properties to the final product.
- Amylases (bacterial, fungal and maltogenic) improve the gas-retention of fermented dough, keeping the bread fresher, softer, flavoursome for longer, which can lead to less food waste.
- Proteases are important for bread-making because they have a softening effect on dough and make kneading easier. They are used in large scale production of bread, baked goods, crackers, and waffles as these enzymes reduce mixing time, decrease dough consistency, assure dough uniformity, regulate gluten strength in bread, control bread texture and improve flavour.
- Lipases and phospholipases are also used to improve dough tolerance, significantly increasing bread volume after baking.
- Xylanases are used in baking to hydrolyse arabinoxylans and improve gluten formation.
In brewing applications, haze-negative proteases reduce haze in the final beer and improve shelf-life. In the animal nutrition industry, alpha-galactosidase have shown to improve nutrient digestibility of feed.
In dairy production, lactase enzymes enable the manufacturing of lactose-free products for lactose-intolerant consumers.
Achieving Operational Efficiencies
Amylase, glucanase and glucoamylase enzymes are essential for food and beverage manufacturers to speed up production processes and improve finished product yield, therefore significantly lowering energy and water usage. These enzymes are widely used for producing dairy-alternative plant-based beverages.
The growing preference for plant-based food and beverages requires new enzymes that can allow plant-based protein sources to have similar functionalities to animal-derived protein sources and improve the taste and texture of final products.
Enzymes have the ability to increase the stability of plant-based nutritional beverages, optimize process conditions and enable the production of finished products with a consistent mouthfeel, reduced added sugar and improved taste.
By using these amylase, glucanase and glucoamylase enzymes, manufacturers can reduce production time by 25% and use a wider range of raw materials, allowing improvements in extract yield and increased volume as well as a decreased carbon footprint.
Enable Use of Local Sustainable Rraw Materials
Enzymes can enable a wider variety of raw materials to be used in different processes. In the brewing industry, the most common brewing grain is barley. However, it is a cool-season, temperate-climate cereal, and in many parts of the world, it is not widely grown.
The use of exogenous enzymes has enabled brewers to use alternative local grains for brewing such as sorghum, maize, rice and cassava for producing a consumer-acceptable beer at an economically attractive price point.
Thermostable α-amylase for high adjunct brewing, along with glucanase, proteases and glucoamylase enables use of alternative, un-malted, more cost effective local and sustainable raw materials without negatively impacting final product integrity.
The benefits to the local economy of using local grains is significant; it creates employment, provides incomes for local farmers, and supports the overall economy.
For example, cassava is a tuber crop grown primarily in Nigeria, Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand, which is rich in available starch. It is underused for sugar production and beer production.
With pressures on the supply and demand of other starches and cereal crops, locally sourced, low-cost cassava represents a potential alternative source of sugar for syrup extract producers, brewers, distillers, confectioners and ethanol producers.
With the optimal application of thermostable amylases and glucoamylase, extracts of the desired quality can be unlocked from the cassava tuber supporting the creation of a high-quality, affordable and sustainable alternative other than that brewed with imported barley.
How do Enzymes Benefit the Environment?
An estimated one third of all food produced is lost or wasted. The resources and efforts for producing this food is also lost as the food is not used for nutritional benefit.
According to the World Food Program (USA), if we can reverse the trend on food waste, we would save enough food to feed 2 billion people, more than twice the amount of people who are undernourished whilst also making a significant contribution towards reversing climate change.
Enzymes are an increasingly important ally as we all seek to create a more sustainable food system. Examples include:
- Shelf life extension of foods to significantly reducing food waste
- Transformation of waste streams into value-added products
- Improvement of overall production efficiency and quality of final products. Some industry examples of this in action include:
Brewing Industry
Brewing has environmental challenges both during production and in the waste management phase. The largest waste by volume is brewers’ spent grain (BSG), followed by yeast.
Approximately 70% of BSG is used as animal feed, but due to its high moisture content and microbial load, its shelf life is extremely short – less than 48 hours. Around 10% of spent grain goes to produce biogas, and the remaining 20% is landfilled.
Every tonne of BSG in landfill releases 513 kg CO2 equivalent of greenhouse gases. This by-product of the brewing process has extraordinary circular economy potential, making it a perfect candidate for upcycling into human food supply, feed or for pharmaceutical purposes.
Exogenous enzymes, such as amylases, proteases and NSP (Non-Starch Polysaccharides Enzymes) can help improve extract yield thereby reducing waste and enabling re-use of waste or by-product like spent grain into value added products.
These enzymes have a great potential to help cereal-based products manufacturers, and in particular breweries, valorise the by-products waste stream and convert it into value-added products by reutilising wasted proteins and fibre molecules.
Enzymes and processing aids deliver a significant reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions. There is potential for 19% energy savings, and 41% CO2 emission reduction by using enzymes and processing aids at different stages of the brewing process.
Bakery Industry
The bakery industry represents the largest volume of food waste. It is a major challenge for bakeries as they seek to ensure fresh availability for consumers yet also to minimise surplus. Increasing the shelf life of baked goods by two days reduces those items going to waste by 40%.
In bakery applications, enzymes not only reduce waste, but also improve production efficiencies and enhance the quality of baked goods.
Amylases break down starch to smaller molecules to improve softness over shelf-life, xylanases hydrolyse non-starch polysaccharides like arabinoxylan and hemicellulose so that insoluble hemicellulose is converted to soluble hemicellulose and improve water holding capacity, gluten development and elasticity.
With doughnuts, for example, some specialised enzymes can double shelf life whilst maintaining the softness, moisture, volume and other desired sensory attributes.
Meat Production
Meat is the highest value category of all food waste offenders. 20% of meat produced globally goes to waste and it is the most carbon intensive category of food waste globally.
Specific protease enzymes can help meat processors efficiently transform meat protein waste into valuable resources that can be utilized in a variety of applications, including biofertilizers.
Proteases valorise animal by-products that would otherwise be waste bound, helping meat processors become more sustainable in their manufacturing process.
Fish Industry
In the fish industry, where waste is also a major challenge, advances in enzyme technology have enabled the extraction of value from fish waste, converting protein-rich fish by-product waste into cost-efficient fish oils and proteins.
The traditional linear economy is one based on an ethos of take-make-dispose, with insufficient consideration given to the impact or opportunity from our waste streams.
Circular economy utilizing food waste gives us a great opportunity to upcycle “waste” into “value added” products, thus reducing waste accumulation and increasing resource productivity.
Enzymes are fast becoming a hero in the circular economy due to their ability to turn waste streams into a potential revenue stream.
What are the Future Prospects of Enzymes?
The future of our food production will rely on advances in microbiology, artificial intelligence and bioprocessing.
Across all of these scientific and technical advances, enzymes have the power to play a significant role in creating the future of our food, to make it healthier, more sustainable and to add value to waste streams.
Innovation in enzymes through collaborations between experts in biochemistry, bioinformatic, molecular modelling, enzymology, molecular biology, fermentation, system biology, food science and regulatory will drive enzymology research for waste stream valorisation and play a critical role in acceleration of circular economy.
With advancements in enzymes engineering, these natural biocatalysts are fast becoming pivotal tools to valorise agri-food and by-products waste, unlocking the recovery of essential nutrients and, in many cases, converting by-products waste streams into substantial revenue returns.
When you couple this incredible potential with increased consumer focus on health, environment, sustainability and the ongoing research and innovation focus on enzymes optimisation, it is clear that the future of enzymes is to positively disrupt our food system by building a more efficient and sustainable food chain.
Why Acrylamide is in Headlines: European Consumer Organizations calling for stronger consumer protection
Acrylamide is a suspected carcinogen that forms in foods with certain sugars and amino acids, when processed at a high temperature.
Over the last number of years, rising awareness of it as a carcinogen has resulted in some governments introducing regulations with the aim of reducing its presence in foods. Many manufacturers have already taken steps to reduce its level of use. These European benchmarks for limiting the amount of acrylamide allowed in packaged foods came into effect in April 2018, but have already received some criticism from consumer groups.
Following a recent European-wide test undertaken by ten consumer groups that sampled more than 500 foods products known to include acrylamide, such as crisps, cookies, coffee or breakfast cereals, European consumer organisations such as the BEUC, are now calling on the European Commission to lower benchmarks for acrylamide in food products.
In this European test, cookies and wafers were found to have high levels of acrylamide at or above the current benchmarks (for example, 300 micrograms of acrylamide per kilogram of many breakfast cereals), a particular issue potentially for the health of younger children, who often consume these type of products.
According to the BEUC, consumers, especially younger consumers, need to be better protected from acrylamide in their food.
What is Acrylamide?
Acrylamide or 2-propenamide is a chemical compound, with chemical formula CH2=CH–CO–NH2, that can be produced at high levels in heat treated foods containing the free amino acid asparagine and reducing sugars. Common foods with these properties include potato based snacks, cereal bars, biscuits, and crackers.
It is a by-product of the Maillard reaction, a series of non-enzymatic reactions between reducing sugars such as glucose and free amino acids.
Is Acrylamide a carcinogen? What is the evidence and what are the risks?
According to EFSA’s risk assessment on acrylamide, EFSA’s scientific opinion is:
- Based on animal studies, EFSA confirms previous evaluations that acrylamide in food potentially increases the risk of developing cancer for consumers in all age groups.
- Since acrylamide is present in a wide range of everyday foods, this concern applies to all consumers but children are the most exposed age group on a body weight basis.
- Possible harmful effects of acrylamide on the nervous system, pre- and post-natal development and male reproduction were not considered to be a concern, based on current levels of dietary exposure.
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How does acrylamide get into food and at what levels?
Acrylamide is produced in some foods during high temperature cooking processes such as frying, roasting and baking. The level of acrylamide produced will be dependent on a number of factors such as time, temperature and pH of cooking, content of reducing sugars (e.g. glucose, fructose, galactose) and the amino acid asparagine in the food/system. Depending on the process and food base the levels can range from as low as 10ppb (bread) to as high as 5,000 ppb (potato crisps).
Even though it has been shown that a temperature of 120 °C / 248 °F or higher is needed for the formation of acrylamide, there are reports confirming that this compound can be formed at temperatures below 100 °C / 212 °F (Biedermann and Grob 2003). It is important to note however that prolonged storage and heating time at high temperatures (higher than 120 °C) decrease the acrylamide content. The most extreme example of this would be coffee roasting, where acrylamide levels are decreased with prolonged high temperature roasting. A typical lightly roasted coffee could contain as much as 1800ppb acrylamide where the same dark roasted variety can be as low as 300ppb.
How can acrylamide be reduced in processed food?
- Analyse food products to understand levels present in foods post processing.
- Explore ways to reduce asparagine and/or reducing sugar content of chosen foods/raw materials for processing/cooking, for example removing potato starch from the formulation. More examples can be found in this toolbox.
- Control cooking temperatures and moisture content to reduce the level of acrylamide produced. This can impact processing and final product quality (taste and texture), therefore consumer acceptability will need to be taken into consideration. For example, baking at lower temperatures will require longer bake times. Prolonged storage and heating time at high temperatures (higher than 120 °C) decrease the acrylamide content but this may also decrease the quality of a food product.
- Monitor and allow for the impact of environmental and seasonal variations on acrylamide precursors in natural commodities such as potatoes.
- Explore alternative techniques and technologies.
- Replace ammonium bicarbonate, which has been shown to promote acrylamide production in sweet baked goods, with sodium bicarbonate, although this needs to be balanced against increased sodium intake.
- Reduce asparagine precursors with asparaginase.
- Asparaginase enzymes have been developed to reduce asparagine precursors in the raw materials during processing and hence reduce acrylamide production during the subsequent cooking, baking or heating steps.
- These solutions can be created with genetically modified organisms, or by using naturally occurring yeast cells with high asparaginase activity.
In a world that loves sugar’s familiar qualities…where do you start for its successful reduction?
Sugar ranks at the top of the list when it comes to consumer nutrition concerns, but sugar reduction poses a challenge across all product categories.
The responsibility and cost of helping consumers reduce their sugar intake is being pushed onto the food and beverage industry by legislation like sugar taxes.
We look at why so many sugar-reduced products fail. Though consumers cite taste as the biggest driver of their intention to repurchase, we explore other key factors that may stop great-tasting products from getting off the shelf.
Hear from nutrition and applications experts on how to succeed with sugar reduction. Find out what makes healthier products likeable while fitting into labelling and tax legislation across the world.
Bringing together consumer perception research, true nutrition science and practical formulation expertise, you’ll come away with actionable insights, practical examples and industry-relevant solutions for sugar reduction.