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Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 of 20 November 2017 establishing mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in food (Text with EEA relevance)
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Where the mitigation measures in this Annex include the use of food additives and other substances, the food additives and other substances shall be used in accordance with the provisions provided for in Regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council (EC) No 1332/2008(1) and (EC) No 1333/2008(2) and Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012(3).
the temperature shall be appropriate to the potato variety stored and it shall be above 6 °C;
the level of humidity shall be such as to minimise senescent sweetening;
sprouting shall be suppressed in long term stored potatoes where permitted, using appropriate agents;
during storage the level of reducing sugars in potatoes shall be tested.
Recommended cooking methods shall be in agreement with customer specifications and requirements for professional end users and must be validated per product type to ensure products have optimal sensory quality at the lightest acceptable colour, per cooking method specified (e.g. fryer, oven) and have levels of acrylamide below the benchmark level determined in Annex IV.
FBOs shall recommend to end users other than consumers that they should have tools available for the operators (e.g. chefs) to ensure good cooking methods and also provide calibrated equipment (e.g. timers, frying curves, colour grading charts (e.g. USDA/Munsell) and at minimum, clear pictures with targeted final prepared product colours.
keep the temperature between 160 and 175 °C when frying, and 180-220 °C when using an oven. Lower temperature can be used when the fan is switched on;
Preheat the cooking device (e.g. oven, air fryer) to correct temperature between 180 and 220 °C according to on-pack cooking instructions, depending on the products specifications and local requirements;
cook potatoes until a golden yellow colour;
do not overcook;
turn oven products after 10 minutes or halfway through the total cooking time;
follow the recommended cooking instructions, as provided by the manufacturer;
when preparing smaller quantities of potatoes than indicated on pack, reduce the cooking time, to avoid excessive browning of the product;
do not overfill the frying basket; fill your basket up to the halfway mark to avoid excessive oil uptake by extended frying times.
Asparaginase
Acids or their salts (to reduce the level of pH of the dough)
Calcium salts.
Where the temperature is higher than 175 °C at the fryer exit, FBOs shall provide data demonstrating that the level of acrylamide in the finished product. is below the benchmark level specified in Annex IV.
(Note: Most pellet products are fried at temperatures higher than 175 °C because of their very short frying time and the temperatures needed to achieve the required expansion and texture of these products).U.K.
The mitigation measures in this Chapter are applicable to the fine bakery wares such as cookies, biscuits, rusks, cereal bars, scones, cornets, wafers, crumpets and gingerbread, as well as unsweetened products such as crackers, crisp breads and bread substitutes. In this category a cracker is a dry biscuit (a baked product based on cereal flour), e.g. soda crackers, rye crispbreads and matzot.
In case of contract farming, where agricultural products are supplied to FBOs directly by their producers, FBOs shall ensure that the following requirements to prevent elevated asparagine levels in cereals are applied:
to follow Good Agricultural Practices on fertilisation, in particular with regard to maintaining balanced sulphur levels in the soil and to ensure a correct nitrogen application;
to follow Good Phytosanitary Practices in order to ensure the application of good practices on crop protection measures to prevent fungal infection.
FBOs shall carry out controls to verify the effective application of the aforesaid requirements.
In the manufacturing process FBOs shall apply the following mitigation measures:
For relevant products, FBOs shall consider reducing or replacing fully or partially ammonium bicarbonate with alternative raising agents such as
sodium bicarbonate and acidulants, or
sodium bicarbonate and disodium diphosphates with organic acids or potassium variants thereof.
As part of this consideration, FBOs shall ensure that the use of the said alternative raising agents do not result in organoleptic changes (taste, appearance, texture etc.) or increase the overall sodium content which influence product identity and consumers acceptance.
For products where the product design allows, FBOs shall replace fructose or fructose-containing ingredients such as syrups and honey with glucose or non-reducing sugars such as sucrose, particularly in recipes containing ammonium bicarbonate where possible and taking into consideration that replacing fructose or other reducing sugars may result in a modified product identity due to loss of flavour and colour formation.
FBOs shall use asparaginase where effective and possible to reduce asparagine and mitigate the potential for acrylamide formation. FBOs shall take into account that there is limited or no effect on the levels of acrylamide of the use of asparaginase in recipes with high fat content, low moisture or high pH value.
Where a product characteristic allows, FBOs shall review whether it is possible to utilise the partial replacement of wheat flour with alternative grain flour, such as rice, taking into consideration that any change will have an impact on the baking process and organoleptic properties of the products. Different types of grains have shown different levels of asparagine (typical asparagine levels are the highest in rye and in descending order lower in oats, wheat, maize and with the lowest levels in rice).
FBOs shall take into account in the risk assessment the impact of ingredients in the fine bakery wares that may raise acrylamide levels in the final product, and use ingredients that do not have such effects but maintain physical and organoleptic properties (such as almonds roasted at lower rather than higher temperatures and dried fruits as fructose source).
FBOs shall ensure that suppliers of heat treated ingredients which are susceptible to acrylamide formation carry out an acrylamide risk assessment and implement the appropriate mitigation measures.
FBOs shall ensure that a change in products sourced from suppliers does not result in increased acrylamide levels in such cases.
FBOs shall consider to add organic acids to the production process or decrease the levels of pH as far as possible and reasonable in combination with other mitigation measures and taking into account that this can result in organoleptic changes (less browning, modification of taste).
FBOs shall take the following mitigation measures in the manufacture of fine bakery wares and shall ensure that the measures taken are compatible with the product characteristics and food safety requirements:
FBO shall apply the heat input, i.e. time and temperature combination that is the most effective to reduce acrylamide formation while achieving the targeted product characteristics.
FBOs shall increase the moisture content in the final product in consideration of achieving the targeted product quality, the required shelf life and food safety standards.
Products shall be baked to a lighter colour endpoint in the final product in consideration of achieving the targeted product quality, the required shelf life and food safety standards.
In developing new products, FBOs shall take into account in their risk assessment the size and surface area of a particular piece of product taking into account that small product size potentially leads to higher acrylamide levels due to heat impact.
As certain ingredients used in the manufacture of fine bakery wares could be heat treated several times (e.g. pre-processed cereal pieces, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, etc.), which results in the raise of acrylamide levels in final products, FBOs shall adjust product and process design accordingly to comply with the benchmark levels of acrylamide set out in Annex IV. In particular the FBOs shall not use burnt products as rework.
For product pre-mixes that are put on the market to be baked at home or in catering establishments, FBOs shall provide preparation instructions to their customers to ensure that the acrylamide levels in the final products are as low as reasonably achievable below the benchmark levels.
In case of contract farming, where agricultural products are supplied to FBOs directly by their producers, FBOs shall ensure that the following requirements to prevent elevated asparagine levels in cereals are applied:
to follow Good Agricultural Practices on fertilisation, in particular with regard to maintaining balanced sulphur levels in the soil and to ensure a correct nitrogen application;
to follow Good Phytosanitary Practices in order to ensure the application of good practices on crop protection measures to prevent fungal infection.
FBOs shall carry out controls to verify the effective application of the aforesaid requirements.
to establish a register of such ingredients;
to carry out audits of suppliers and/or analyses;
to ensure that no changes are made by the supplier of such ingredients that increase acrylamide levels.
In the manufacture of breakfast cereals FBOs shall apply the following mitigation measures and shall ensure that the measures taken are compatible with the product characteristics and food safety requirements:
FBOs shall identify, by means of risk assessment, the critical heat-treatment step(s) in the manufacturing process that generate(s) acrylamide.
As higher heating temperatures and longer heating times generate higher acrylamide levels, FBOs shall identify an effective combination of temperature and heating times to minimise acrylamide formation without compromising the taste, texture, colour, safety and shelf-life of the product.
To avoid the generation of acrylamide spikes, FBOs shall control heating temperatures, times and feed-rates in order to achieve the following minimum moisture content in the final product after the final heat treatment in consideration of achieving the targeted product quality, the required shelf life and food safety standards:
toasted products: 1 g/100 g for extruded products, 1 g/100 g for batch cooked products, 2 g/100 g for steam rolled products;
direct expanded products: 0,8 g/100 g for extruded products;
baked products: 2 g/100 g for continuously cooked products;
filled products: 2 g/100 g for extruded products;
other drying: 1 g/100 g for batch cooked products, 0,8 g/100 g for gun puffed products.
FBOs shall measure the moisture content and express acrylamide concentration in a dry mass to eliminate the confounding effect of moisture changes.
Reworking product back through the process has the potential to generate higher acrylamide levels through repeated exposure to the heat-treatments steps. FBOs therefore shall assess the impact of rework on acrylamide levels and reduce or eliminate rework.
FBOs shall have procedures in place, such as temperature controls and monitoring, to prevent the incidence of burnt products.
In considering coffee blend composition FBOs shall take into account in the risk assessment that products based on Robusta beans tend to have higher acrylamide levels than products based on Arabica beans.
In case of contract farming, where agricultural products are supplied to FBOs directly by their producers, FBOs shall ensure that the following requirements to prevent elevated asparagine levels in cereals are applied:
to follow Good Agricultural Practices on fertilisation, in particular with regard to maintaining balanced sulphur levels in the soil and to ensure a correct nitrogen application;
to follow Good Phytosanitary Practices in order to ensure the application of good practices on crop protection measures to prevent fungal infection.
FBOs shall carry out controls to verify the effective application of the aforesaid requirements.
FBOs shall purchase only cultivars low in asparagine and FBOs shall ensure that no late and excessive nitrogen application has taken place during the growth of chicory.
If coffee substitutes are not made exclusively from chicory namely, chicory content is less than 100 % and more than 50 %, FBOs shall add other ingredients, such as chicory fibres, roasted cereals, as these have been shown to be effective to reduce the acrylamide content in the final product.
In case of contract farming, where agricultural products are supplied to FBOs directly by their producers, FBOs shall ensure that the following requirements to prevent elevated asparagine levels in cereals are applied:
to follow Good Agricultural Practices on fertilisation, in particular with regard to maintaining balanced sulphur levels in the soil and to ensure a correct nitrogen application;
to follow Good Phytosanitary Practices in order to ensure the application of good practices on crop protection measures to prevent fungal infection.
FBOs shall carry out controls to verify the effective application of the aforesaid requirements.
to follow Good Agricultural Practices on fertilisation, in particular with regard to maintaining balanced sulphur levels in the soil and to ensure a correct nitrogen application;
to follow Good Phytosanitary Practices in order to ensure the application of good practices on crop protection measures to prevent fungal infection.
FBOs shall carry out controls to verify the effective application of the aforesaid requirements.
In case of contract farming, where agricultural products are supplied to FBOs directly by their producers, FBOs shall ensure that the following requirements to prevent elevated asparagine levels in cereals are applied:
to follow Good Agricultural Practices on fertilisation, in particular with regard to maintaining balanced sulphur levels in the soil and to ensure a correct nitrogen application;
to follow Good Phytosanitary Practices in order to ensure the application of good practices on crop protection measures to prevent fungal infection.
FBOs shall carry out controls to verify the effective application of the aforesaid requirements.
French fries and other cut (deep fried) potato products:
Potato varieties with lower sugar content shall be used, when available and insofar as compatible with the desired food product to be obtained. In this respect the provider shall be consulted for best suited potato varieties.
Potatoes shall be stored at a temperature higher than 6 °C.
Before the frying process:
Except for frozen potato products for which cooking instructions shall be followed, one of the following measures shall be taken with raw French fries to reduce the sugar content, where possible and insofar as compatible with the desired food product to be obtained:
Washing and soaking preferably for 30 minutes up to 2 hours in cold water. Rinse the strips in clean water before frying.
Soaking for a few minutes in warm water. Rinse the strips in clean water before frying.
Blanching of potatoes results in lower levels of acrylamide and therefore where possible, it is appropriate to blanch potatoes.
When frying French fries or other potato products:
Frying oils and fats shall be used which allows to fry quicker and/or at lower temperatures. Cooking oil suppliers shall be consulted for the best suited oils and fats.
Frying temperatures shall be below 175 °C and in any case as low as possible taking into account the food safety requirements.
Frying oils and fats quality shall be maintained by skimming frequently to remove fines and crumbs.
For the cooking of French fries, it is appropriate that the FBOs make use of available colour guides providing guidance on the optimal combination of colour and low levels of acrylamide.
It is appropriate that a colour guide providing guidance on the optimal combination of colour and low levels of acrylamide is visibly displayed at the premises to the staff preparing the food.
Insofar possible and compatible with the production process and hygiene requirements:
the extension of yeast fermentation time;
the moisture content of the dough for the production of a product with low moisture content, shall be optimised;
the lowering of oven temperature and the extension cooking time.
Products shall be baked to a lighter colour endpoint and dark roasting of crust shall be avoided in case the dark colour of the crust is the result of the strong roasting and not related to the specific composition or nature of the bread resulting in a dark crust.
The abovementioned colour guide providing guidance on the optimal combination of colour and low levels of acrylamide shall be visibly displayed at the premises to the staff preparing the specific food.
FBOs shall accept products referred to in Article 1(2) only from FBOs that have implemented all mitigation measures set out in Annex I.
FBOs shall:
follow the instructions on storage of provided by the FBOs or the suppliers or provided for in the relevant mitigation measures in Annex I;
work with Standard Operational Procedures and calibrated fryers equipped with computerised timers and programmed to standard settings (time-temperature);
monitor the level of acrylamide in finished products to verify that the mitigation measures are effective in keeping acrylamide levels below the benchmark level.
FBOs shall monitor the level of acrylamide in finished products to verify that the mitigation measures are effective in keeping acrylamide levels below the benchmark level.
FBOs shall ensure that the level of acrylamide in supplied coffee is lower than the benchmark level specified in Annex IV taking into account however that this may not be possible for all coffee types depending on blend and roast characteristics. In these cases a justification is provided by the supplier.
Wherever possible the trueness of analysis shall be estimated by including suitable certified reference materials in the analysis.
Parameter | Criterion |
---|---|
Applicability | Foods specified in this Regulation |
Specificity | Free from matrix or spectral interferences |
Field blanks | Less than Limit of Detection (LOD) |
Repeatability (RSDr) | 0,66 times RSDR as derived from (modified) Horwitz equation |
Reproducibility (RSDR) | as derived from (modified) Horwitz equation |
Recovery | 75-110 % |
Limit of Detection (LOD) | Three tenths of LOQ |
Limit of Quantification (LOQ) | For benchmark level < 125 μg/kg: ≤ two fifths of the benchmark level (however not required to be lower than 20 μg/kg) For benchmark level ≥ 125 μg/kg: ≤ 50 μg/kg |
If the analytical result, corrected for recovery but not taking into account the measurement uncertainty, indicates that a product has exceeded the benchmark level, or contains acrylamide at a level higher than anticipated (taking into account previous analyses, but lower than the benchmark level), then the FBOs shall carry out a review of the mitigation measures applied and shall take additional available mitigation measures to ensure that acrylamide level in the finished product is below the benchmark level. This must be demonstrated by the undertaking of a new representative sampling and analysis, after the introduction of the additional mitigation measures.
FBOs shall make the analytical results obtained from the analysis every year available on request to the competent authority together with descriptions of the products analysed. Details of mitigation measures taken to reduce levels of acrylamide below the benchmark level shall be provided for those products exceeding the benchmark level.
Benchmark levels for the presence of acrylamide in foodstuffs referred to in Article 1(1) are as follows:
a Non-whole grain and/or non-bran based cereals. The cereal present in the largest quantity determines the category. | |
b The benchmark level to be applied to coffee substitutes from a mixture of cereals and chicory takes into account the relative proportion of these ingredients in the final product. | |
c As defined in Regulation (EU) No 609/2013. | |
Food | Benchmark level[μg/kg] |
---|---|
French fries (ready-to-eat) | 500 |
Potato crisps from fresh potatoes and from potato dough Potato-based crackers Other potato products from potato dough | 750 |
Soft bread | |
(a)Wheat based bread | 50 |
(b)Soft bread other than wheat based bread | 100 |
Breakfast cereals (excl. porridge) | |
| 300 |
| 300 |
| 150 |
Biscuits and wafers | 350 |
Crackers with the exception of potato based crackers | 400 |
Crispbread | 350 |
Ginger bread | 800 |
Products similar to the other products in this category | 300 |
Roast coffee | 400 |
Instant (soluble) coffee | 850 |
Coffee substitutes | |
(a)coffee substitutes exclusively from cereals | 500 |
(b)coffee substitutes from a mixture of cereals and chicory | b |
(c)coffee substitutes exclusively from chicory | 4 000 |
Baby foods, processed cereal based foods for infants and young children excluding biscuits and rusksc | 40 |
Biscuits and rusks for infants and young childrenc | 150 |
Regulation (EC) No 1332/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food enzymes and amending Council Directive 83/417/EEC, Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999, Directive 2000/13/EC, Council Directive 2001/112/EC and Regulation (EC) No 258/97 (OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 7).
Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives (OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16).
Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 of 9 March 2012 laying down specifications for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 83, 22.3.2012, p. 1).
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, amending Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006 and (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Commission Directive 87/250/EEC, Council Directive 90/496/EEC, Commission Directive 1999/10/EC, Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Commission Directives 2002/67/EC and 2008/5/EC and Commission Regulation (EC) No 608/2004 (OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 18).
As defined in Regulation (EU) No 609/2013.
As defined in Regulation (EU) No 609/2013.
M. Thompson et al, Pure and Applied Chemistry, 2006, 78, pp. 145-196.
Edited by M. Thompson and R. Wood, Pure and Applied Chemistry, 1995, 67, pp. 649-666.
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