Abstract
The presence of unintended chemicals in food products and supplements
may impact consumers’ health negatively. Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs)
in particular are gaining research attention and have been detected and
quantified in food products and supplements in the past. The aim of this
study was to analyze encapsulated, and bulk minimally processed marine
oils for MOHs and to evaluate the probable sources of these compounds.
Hydrocarbons in supplement oils were extracted via saponification and
analyzed by gas chromatography with both flame ionization and mass
spectral detection. While no mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH)
were detected in any sample, the analysis revealed the presence of
mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) in 9 out of 10 minimally
processed encapsulated oils. The MOSH appeared on the chromatograms as
an unresolved complex mixture (UCM) with concentrations ranging from 376
± 49 to 3831 ± 414 mg kg-1. These values are well below the maximum
allowable limits for MOH in encapsulated products set by the United
States Food and Drug Administration. Therefore, all the tested products
are compliant with the US regulations. Moreso, the bulk oil samples did
not contain detectable levels of MOH. This study suggests that MOH
accumulation in encapsulated products is likely due to the use of
lubricants during encapsulation, rather than environmental sources such
as oil spills since MOAH that are characteristic of weathered petroleum
products were not identified in the UCM.