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Mineral oil hydrocarbons in minimally processed nutraceutical oils
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  • Oladimeji Adewusi,
  • Suzanne Budge,
  • Christopher Barry,
  • Jenna Sullivan Ritter
Oladimeji Adewusi
Dalhousie University Faculty of Engineering

Corresponding Author:oladimeji.adewusi@dal.ca

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Suzanne Budge
Dalhousie University Faculty of Engineering
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Christopher Barry
Dalhousie University Faculty of Engineering
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Jenna Sullivan Ritter
Dalhousie University Faculty of Engineering
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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.