MVO specifications for refined vegetable
and marine oils excluding olive oil

October 2007

The specifications for refined vegetable and marine oils excluding olive oil 2007 of the Product Board for Margarine, Fats and Oils (MVO) provide information on the quality and safety parameters of refined oils and fats to buyers of these oils and fats. They include:

• legal limits for contaminants in oils and fats
• limits in Codex Alimentarius standards
• MVO guaranteed values for quality and food safety parameters which are not legally regulated
• recommended methods of analysis for the parameters mentioned

These values apply unless otherwise agreed in additional documents between supplier and buyer.

Contaminant	EC Regulation 1881/2006	Codex Standard for named vegetable oils	MVO Guaranteed value	Reference Method of Analysis
Mycotoxins				AOCS Ab 6-68 and Directive 1998/53/EC amended by 2002/27/EC, 2002/121/EG and 2004/43/EG
Aflatoxin B1 - in peanut and coconut oil	max 2 µg/kg
Aflatoxin B1+ B2+G1+G2 - in peanut and coconut oil	max 4 µg/kg
Zearalenone - in refined maize oil	max 400 µg/kg
Metals
Iron (Fe)		max 1500 µg/kg	max 500 µg/kg	ISO 8294
Copper (Cu)		max 100 µg/kg	max 50 µg/kg	ISO 8294
Arsenic (As)		max 100 µg/kg	max 100 µg/kg	AAS
Lead (Pb)	max 100 µg/kg	max 100 µg/kg		ISO 12193
Nickel (Ni)			max 200 µg/kg 1)	ISO 8294
Sum of dioxins and furans				Fediol lists with labs approved for analysing dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in oils and fats www.fediol.be/5/index3.php
- in vegetable oil	max 0.75 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat
- in fish oil	max 2 pg WHO- TEQ/g fat
Sum of dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs
- in vegetable oil	max 1.5 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat
- in fish oil	max 10 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat
PAHs
Benz(a)pyrene (BaP)	max 2 µg/kg		See FEDIOL Statement on PAHs www.fediol.be/5/index1.php	ISO 15302

1) This applies to hydrogenated refined fats and oils.

Pesticide residues

According to Directive 90/642/EEC, European Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for processed products like oils and fats should be derived from the European MRLs for raw agricultural products. Concentration or dilution caused by processing must be taken into account. European MRLs for raw agricultural products can be found in the MVO-Fediol MRL database. For a number of specific oil-pesticide combinations Codex Maximum Residue Levels are set. These can also be found in the MVO-Fediol MRL database.

The reference method of analysis is NEN-EN 1528-1 /m 4. FEDIOL has a list with labs approved for analysing pesticide residues in oils and fats www.fediol.be/5/index3.php.

Quality parameters for refined oils and fats at loading

Bacteriological specifications 2)	Legal limit	Codex limit	MVO guaranteed value	Reference Method of Analysis
Total plate count			max 1000/g	ISO 4833
Salmonella			absent in 25 g	ISO 6579
Yeasts			max 10/g	ISO 7954
Moulds			max 10/g	ISO 7954
Enterobacteriaceae			max 10/g	ISO 21528-2
E. coli			absent /g	ISO 16649-2

2)  Refined oils are sterile and have a too low moisture content for bacteria to affect the quality of the oil. However, during loading of means of transport contamination can occur. Bacteriological specifications should assure refined oils to be loaded according to good practices.

Other quality parameters	Legal limit	Limit of Codex Standard for named vegetable oils	MVO guaranteed value	Reference Method of Analysis
Soap remains		50 mg/kg (0.005% m/m)	max 10 mg/kg (0.001% m/m)	NEN 6330
Free fatty acids		0.3% FFA (0.6 mg/KOH/g oil)	max 0.1% FFA (0.2 mg/KOH/g oil)	ISO 660
Peroxide value		max 10 milli equivalents O2/kg	max 1.0 milli equivalents O2/kg	ISO 3960

Mineral oils and thermal heating fluids

Strict legislation for the transport of refined oils and fats by sea and by land prevents the contamination of refined oils and fats with mineral oils.

There is no risk of contamination of refined oils with thermal heating fluids because European oils and fat producers only use steam heating. Refined (or semi refined) products from third countries are regularly checked on the presence of thermal heating fluids.