ISSN 1817-7077 F A O J E C F A M o n o g r a p h s 1 COMBINED COMPENDIUM OF FOOD ADDITIVE SPECIFICATIONS Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives All specifications monographs from the 1st to the 65th meeting (1956–2005) Volume 4 Analytical methods, test procedures and laboratory solutions used by and referenced in the food additive specifications ISSN 1817-7077 F A O J E C F A M o n o g r a p h s 1 COMBINED COMPENDIUM OF FOOD ADDITIVE SPECIFICATIONS Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives All specifications monographs from the 1st to the 65th meeting (1956–2005) Volume 4 Volume 1 Analytical methods, test procedures and laboratory solutions used by and referenced in the food additive specifications FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2006 The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. ISBN 92-5-105569-6 All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to: Chief Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch Information Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to: [email protected] © FAO 2006 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 52, “Compendium of Food Additive Specifications” (FNP 52) was first published in 1992. It combined all of the food additive specifications prepared by JECFA from its first meeting in 1956 to its thirty-seventh meeting in 1990. A companion publication, FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 5, “Guide to Specifications” (FNP 5) contained the analytical methods, test procedures and laboratory solutions used in and referenced by JECFA food additive specifications. It was first published in 1978 and revised in 1991. The decision was made to prepare an updated second edition of FNP 52 to include all food additive specifications prepared by JECFA through its sixty-fifth meeting in 2005. It was further decided that an updated and revised version of FNP 5 would not be published separately as before, but would be incorporated into the FNP 52 Compendium second edition. The new Compendium of Food Additive Specifications is therefore now comprised of four volumes. The first three volumes are the food additive specifications themselves in alphabetical order. This fourth volume includes the revised and updated analytical methods, test procedures and laboratory solutions which first appeared in FNP 5, plus newer procedures and an expanded section on laboratory instrumentation. The review, revision and updating of the material in FNP 5, to prepare Volume 4, was a long and arduous process. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) wishes to acknowledge and thank the following experts who were instrumental in the preparation and finalization of this document: (Listed in alphabetical order) Dr. Julie Barrows, US Food and Drug Administration, USA Dr. Richard Cantrill, American Oil Chemists Society, USA. Mr. John Howlett, Consultant, United Kingdom. Dr. Paul Kuznesof, US Food and Drug Administration, USA Dr. Keith Lampel, US Food and Drug Administration, USA Mrs. Inge Meyland, Danish Institute of Food and Veterinary Research, Denmark. Dr. Zofia Olempska-Beer, US Food and Drug Administration, USA Dr. Madduri V. Rao, UAE University, United Arab Emirates. Mrs. Harriet Wallin, National Food Agency, Finland Dr. Brian Whitehouse, Consultant, United Kingdom FAO also wishes to thank Consultant John Weatherwax, USA, who coordinated this effort and who prepared the first three volumes of food additive specifications for publication. Although several JECFA experts were involved in the revision and editing of those first three volumes, FAO wishes to identify and thank two experts in particular, who both provided significant contribution. They are Dr. Chris Fisher and Dr. Brian Whitehouse, both Consultants residing in the United Kingdom. v SPECIAL NOTE The methods and analytical procedures described in this Compendium are designed to be carried out by properly trained personnel in a suitably equipped laboratory. In common with many laboratory procedures, the methods quoted frequently involve hazardous materials. For the correct and safe execution of these methods it is essential that laboratory personnel follow standard safety procedures for the handling of hazardous materials. While the greatest care has been exercised in the preparation of this information, FAO expressly disclaims any liability to users of these procedures for consequential damages of any kind arising out of, or connected with, their use. vii COMBINED COMPENDIUM OF FOOD ADDITIVE SPECIFICATIONS INTRODUCTION Introduction Contents Foreword Purpose and function of specifications of identity and purity of food additives JECFA specifications and the Codex system Specifications and methods of analysis Format of specifications General specifications and considerations for enzyme preparations used in food processing Tests and assays Weights and measures Abbreviations FOREWORD The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) was established following the recommendation of the first Joint FAO/WHO Conference on Food Additives that the two organizations collect and disseminate information on food additives (Joint FAO/WHO Conference on Food Additives, Report. FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series, No. 11; WHO Technical Report Series, No. 107, 1956). JECFA was first convened in 1956, and has met annually, with a few exceptions, since that time. As part of its work, JECFA establishes specifications of identity and purity for food additives. These were originally published in FAO Nutrition Meetings Reports Series (NMRS), the WHO Technical Report Series (TRS) or as FAO Food and Nutrition Papers (FNP). However many of these are now out of print, and the first edition of this Compendium was published in 1992 in order to consolidate all of the then current JECFA specifications into a single publication. Since 1992, separate Addenda to this Compendium have been published which contain both newly established specifications and revisions to earlier specifications. The original Compendium and the succeeding Addenda were all published in the FNP series as number 52. This new Combined Compendium replaces the earlier edition and incorporates all the additions and revisions made since 1992, up to and including those contained in FNP 52 Addendum 13. It is being published as the first document under a new publication series, the FAO JECFA Monographs. Many additive specifications have been revised two or more times as new information or circumstances require. The specifications contained in this Combined Compendium are the most recent version or revision for each additive. This new Combined Compendium is in four volumes as follows: Volume 1 – Specifications for food additives A through D. Volume 2 – Specifications for food additives E through O. Volume 3 – Specifications for food additives P through Z. viii Volume 4 – Analytical methods, test procedures and laboratory solutions used by and referenced in the food additive specifications. This Introduction is intended to replace and update the sections in the IPCS document Principles for the Safety Assessment of Food Additives and Contaminants in Food (Environmental Health Criteria 70 (EHC 70), WHO, 1987) that describe the purpose and function of specifications of identity and purity of food additives. It also incorporates the General Notices section of the Guide to Specifications originally published in Food and Nutrition Paper 5 (FNP 5), revision 2. The remainder of FNP 5 has been extensively revised and updated and is now included in Volume 4. The term ‘specifications’ refers to the full set of individual specifications criteria for an additive. Specifications are regarded as one of the outputs of JECFA’s risk assessment of additives. The term ‘safety evaluation’ is used to describe the output of JECFA’s assessment of the toxicology and other safety data relating to a food additive. As previously noted, the specifications published in this Combined Compendium represent the specifications current at the time of publication. These are, however, subject to future review and revision as part of JECFA’s continuing work. New and revised specifications are published as soon as practicable after the JECFA meetings when these were considered, and JECFA specifications are also available online on the FAO website. Specifications for flavouring agents are not included in this Compendium, excepting those few which have an additional technological function as a food additive (e.g. carrier solvent). Flavouring agent specifications will, however, still be available online in a searchable database at the FAO website. ix PURPOSE AND FUNCTION OF SPECIFICATIONS OF IDENTITY AND PURITY OF FOOD ADDITIVES General The specifications of identity and purity established by JECFA