Migration of mineral oil from printed paperboard into dry foods: survey of the German market

From the German market, 119 samples of dry food were analyzed for the migration of mineral oil. The products selected were packed in paperboard boxes and intended for storage for extended periods of time at ambient temperature. The 0.6 mg/kg limit for mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) derived from the WHO/JECFA evaluation was frequently exceeded by a factor of 10-100. Typically, 10-20% of the migrating mineral oil consisted of aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH). Most samples were merely 2-3 months old and far from the end of their shelf life (usually 1-3 years). From the assumption that about 70% of the MOSH and MOAH which are eluted from GC up to the C-24 n-alkane (