The European Flavouring regulation and how to deal with “Restricted Substancesâ

Abstract

The European Flavouring Regulation contains a list of so-called ârestricted substancesâ (RS), i.e. substances that occur naturally in source materials for flavourings and food ingredients with flavouring properties, but whose presence in certain foods is restricted and/or for which maximum levels are set.  This list is the Annex III to the Flavouring Regulation, the most important part of which is Part B, listing 11 substances which are naturally present in flavourings and food ingredients with flavouring properties and to which âmaximum levelsâ apply in specific food categories. The current paper provides some legal aspects with regard to those ârestricted
substancesâ and reports on a new method which has been developed by the Working Group on Methods of Analysis of the International Organization of the Flavor Industry (IOFI) for the rapid routine determination of β-asarone, coumarin, menthofuran, methylchavicol, methyleugenol, pulegone, safrole, and α- and β-thujones in flavourings and their raw materials by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), using selected-ion monitoring and internal standards.  The paper will further focus on Business-to-Business requirements when flavourings are sold to food producers (customers) and provide some elements from EFFAâs Guidance Document.