Evaluating the risk to humans from mineral oils in foods: Current state of the evidence

Area of Science:

• Food safety and toxicology
• Analytical chemistry

Background:

• Mineral oils (MOH), including mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) and mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH), are present in food and feed through intentional use, contamination, or migration from food contact materials.
• Challenges in human health risk assessment for MOH include uncertainties in toxicity data and the need for specialized analytical techniques to analyze complex food matrices.
• Current analytical methods like LC-GC-FID, sometimes supplemented by other techniques, are required for accurate MOH quantification, demanding skilled analysts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss key issues in evaluating human health risks associated with mineral oils in food and feed.
• To explore the human relevance of liver (micro)granulomas observed in rats after oral intake of MOH.
• To highlight the toxicological and analytical challenges in setting human health guidelines for MOH.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on mineral oil occurrence, toxicity, and analytical methods.
• Discussion of analytical challenges in differentiating various hydrocarbon sources in complex food matrices.
• Evaluation of toxicological data, particularly concerning liver lipogranulomas in F344 rats.

Main Results:

• Mineral oils (MOH) are ubiquitous in food due to various sources, but accurate risk assessment is hindered by toxicological data gaps and analytical complexities.
• While liver (micro)granulomas are observed in rats, current evidence suggests they are not associated with inflammation and are unlikely to be of human health significance.
• Food-grade mineral oils are generally free of MOAH, simplifying risk considerations for this specific component.

Conclusions:

• Robust human health risk assessment for MOH requires addressing significant toxicological data gaps and refining analytical methodologies.
• The observed liver lipogranulomas in rats from MOH exposure are not considered a human health concern based on available evidence.
• Despite widespread presence, MOH in the human diet, particularly food-grade oils, does not currently present a significant human health risk regarding liver granulomas.