Excessive Antioxidants and Extraction Solvents Detected in Commercial Krill Oil... 49 Products Non-Compliant

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 31st that among 140 krill oil products distributed domestically, 49 products were found to contain antioxidant ethoxyquin and extraction solvents such as hexane exceeding the standards.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety previously announced the inspection results of krill oil products distributed domestically last month and additionally collected and tested 140 products from overseas manufacturers with a history of non-compliance. Ethoxyquin is approved as an antioxidant for aquaculture feed, and considering the amount that can be transferred from feed, residue limits are set for crustaceans and fish in food. There are five types of extraction solvents; hexane and acetone are allowed, but ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, and methyl alcohol are prohibited.

Ethoxyquin exceeded the standard of 0.2 mg/kg in 6 products. Some products showed levels as high as 3.1 mg/kg, more than 15 times the limit. Among extraction solvents, ethyl acetate, which is not allowed for oil extraction, was detected in 19 products ranging from a minimum of 7.3 mg/kg to a maximum of 28.8 mg/kg. Isopropyl alcohol was found in 9 products ranging from 11.0 mg/kg to 131.1 mg/kg. One product also contained 1.7 mg/kg of methyl alcohol. Hexane, which is permitted as an oil extraction solvent, exceeded the standard of 5 mg/kg in 22 products, with some containing as much as 441 mg/kg.

Among the 49 products, 2 exceeded the standards for both ethoxyquin and hexane simultaneously, and 6 products contained two types of solvents not allowed for oil extraction simultaneously. The Ministry explained that the detected amounts of ethoxyquin and extraction solvents are not at levels harmful to human health when considering the acceptable daily exposure. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is recalling and disposing of all non-compliant products and urges consumers who purchased these products to return them to the place of purchase.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.