Over the past few years the protection of food from potentially hazardous residues such as dioxins, PCBs and pesticides has become a major topic of public interest. MSS is a leading provider of quality laboratory services to the food industry, and is the market leader in the analysis of dioxins and furan concentrations in food samples.
Dioxins and PCB`s in Food
Both dioxins and PCBs enter the human food chain mainly through the intake of animal fats. Dioxins are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and are generally present at very low concentrations in all foods but are especially found in fatty foods such as cows` milk.
Although the use of PCBs is now severely restricted it has been estimated that total world production from the 1930s to 1980s was between one and two million tonnes. The compounds are very resistant to degradation and, as a consequence, PCBs are still widely present in the environment, albeit at very low levels, and are still found in foods. The main sources of PCBs in the diet are from meat, fish and milk.
MSS uses modern analytical gas chromatography/mass spectrometry methods to detect dioxins and PCBs in samples of food. Using the latest technology it is possible to measure concentrations of dioxins of one part per trillion. This detection accuracy can be compared to finding one grain of wheat in a load of 100,000 tonnes!
Commission Regulation (EC) No. 466/2001 came into force on 1st July 2002, setting legally binding limits (which are likely to be reduced as more research as more research is carried out) for dioxins and other contaminants in feed and foodstuff. These regulations fixed the TWI for dioxins at 14 pg WHO-TEQ/Kg of body weight and a maximum level for fish oil at 2 pg WHO-PCDD/F TEQ/g fat.
MSS provides a UKAS accredited analysis service for the 17 dioxins and furans designated as the most toxic by the WHO. The technique utilises GC/High Resolution Mass Spectrometry in order to reach a detection limit of 0.05 ng/Kg (dry weight)
